James Cameron's Avatar: Paradise Revisited
by Blade for Hire
Summary: He used to be a soldier. Now he was a scientist. He would soon become more than he ever dreamed. Hear the story of Davian Steele, and how a scientist's hunger for knowledge would change him forever. SPOILERS! OC. Complete! Reposted w/ "deleted scenes".
1. Prologue

James Cameron's Avatar: Paradise Revisited

Prologue

**ARCHIVE LOGIN:**

…

**Username: DSteele25**

**Password: *********

…

**Access Granted**

…

**File accessed: vlogarchive.**

…

…

**File Opened:…**

"_Six years. Or at least that's what the guy wearing the scrubs said. He pulled me out of that cryo-chamber like a side of beef in a freezer. It didn't really feel like six years to me, but it didn't matter. We were here; Pandora, a moon the size of earth with so many secrets and even more mysteries. I came here to study this magnificent planet, more specifically to study its people. The Na'vi, the indigenous inhabitants of this world. Don't know why, but I found them fascinating. Of course, my fascination with these people couldn't begin to prepare me for the experiences I was in for once I set foot on that rock. My name was Davian Steele, xeno-anthropologist with the Foundation. And this was my story…_"


	2. First Steps Again

1: First Steps Again

The Valkyrie's ramp opened and the first of the passengers started to disembark. Davian Steele was among the last to leave the shuttle. He stepped off the ramp as he readjusted his exopack mask for a more comfortable fit and looked around, rather impressed with what he saw. What had once been a corporate/military compound had been very adequately transformed into a proper spaceport. Right now, the place was bustling with activity due to the recent arrivals from the ship in orbit.

Someone brushed Davian's shoulder as they passed him, "Keep it moving, buddy. We ain't got all day." Davian ignored the comment as he started walking toward the central building. He found it hard to believe that this place had once been the infamous Hell's Gate, once bustling with marines and mining equipment. Now the place was an extensive research facility without a single soldier in sight. Ever since the Augustine Xenological Research Foundation had come to Pandora, they'd been strictly regulating the quantity and type of human traffic coming to the planet, and they were very distrustful of military personnel. None of that really mattered to Steele, quite frankly. He may have been a soldier at one time, and he'd even seen some action back on Earth, but that was just long enough to get military financial subsidies for college. He was a researcher, a xeno-anthropologist to be exact. He was here to study the indigenous inhabitants of the planet, the Na'vi, three-meter tall, blue-skinned humanoids that Davian found very fascinating from what he'd read about them in Dr. Augustine's book. Unfortunately, they were keeping to themselves these days. Their distrust of "Sky People", as they called humans, was rather thick ever since the Incident seven years ago, and they'd been quite aggressive toward any and all human presence on Pandora ever since. It was only recently that the Foundation had deemed it safe enough to come back to the planet at all. It was these trust issues that facilitated the need of what the Foundation called the Avatar Program. Steele didn't know all of the science behind it, but what he did know was that it was a system that allowed a person to use a human/Na'vi hybrid body called an avatar as if it were their own body. Good thing, too, considering the planet's atmosphere would kill a human in four minutes flat, hence the exopacks on everyone's faces. Hazards like that made the program worth its weight in gold to the Foundation.

Davian barely had time to drop his things in his quarters before he had to meet his new project lead, the person in charge of the Avatar Program. For all intents and purposes, she was going to be his boss. He wasn't too worried about it. Steele had signed on as a freelance researcher, so she could lord her position over him all she wanted and it wouldn't bother him in the slightest. His contract said that as long as he did good work for the Foundation, the only person he had to answer to was himself, and that was exactly how Davian liked it. Steele walked into what everyone was calling the Link Room just off of the main bio-lab in the central building, a circular chamber with a number of enclosed beds that looked for all the world like more cryo-chambers.

He chuckled to himself, "Funny. Why does this look eerily familiar." He stepped in as a shorter, younger woman with dark brown hair and a dark complexion wearing a lab coat approached him, carrying a computer board.

She glanced at her board briefly before looking at him, "You must be Dr. Davian Steele. I'm Dr. Roseanne Lopez, Dr. Simon's assistant and lead technician."

Steele shook his head, "It's just _Mr._ Davian Steele. The only doctorate I have is honorary."

Dr. Lopez regarded him over the tops of her glasses, "No real doctorate, huh?" She set her board under her arm, "How much link time have you logged?"

He shrugged, "Zip."

"How's your Na'vi?"

"Lousy."

She took off her glasses and pointed at him with them, "And with credentials like that, Mr. Steele, what makes you think we need you here?"

Davian scoffed loudly, "Frankly, I don't care if you need me or not. I signed on to study the Na'vi, and I intend to do exactly that, whether or not I have your approval."

Dr. Lopez rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder, "Are you sure we can't just ship him back to earth? The shuttles haven't left yet."

Another woman looked up from the link pod she was bent over and nodded, "He has two master's degrees in xeno-sociological and cultural studies, so yes, we do need him. Whether or not you get along with him is your prerogative."

"Fine, fine." Lopez groaned her frustration in a decidedly unladylike manner before turning away to a computer console, "Give me a minute to get some things ready and I'll show you to your pod."

The other doctor set down what she was doing and approached Davian, "I apologize for Rosy. I don't think she has a 'right' side of the bed to wake up on. Give it some time and you'll get used to her." She extended her hand, "I'm Dr. Anita Simon, program lead."

"Davian Steele." He nodded respectfully and shook her hand gently, "A pleasure to meet you."

Dr. Simon folded her arms across her chest and tossed a lock of brown hair out of her blue eyes with a shake of her head, "I know that we're sending you into this cold-turkey, but we don't really have much choice. I'd love to run you through a few months of training first, but the Foundation doesn't think we have that option. We don't know how long the Na'vi will let us stay here or if they're going to become hostile again. The Foundation wants to take advantage of this opportunity while we can, so here you are."

"Here I am." Davian looked around at the pods ringing the room, "I don't know the details about what makes it tick, but I am fairly familiar with the program and its history."

Dr. Simon nodded, "Good. You're going to need it." She turned around toward a window, "Come here." Davian followed her to the window and the doctor pointed in, "That's you, right there. The bed furthest from the door."

Davian looked in to what Dr. Simon referred to and he couldn't help but pause for a moment. A tall and slender humanoid creature was laid out on the med gurney with evo-suited techs buzzing all around him. Davian marveled at the likeness, how seeing the smoothly pronounced cheekbones and jaw line was almost like looking in a mirror. The avatar was the spitting image of himself save for the blue skin, cat-like features, and about a meter and a half of extra height.

Davian snickered, "It looks just like me."

"He'd better." Dr. Simon chuckled as she looked at him, "We used some of you to make him, after all. You think those DNA samples we took when you signed on were just for fun?"

"Get a good look at it. That's the room you'll be waking up in." Dr. Lopez waved Davian over, "Follow me. I'll show you to your training pod."

Davian fell into step behind her, "Training pod?"

Lopez nodded without looking back at him, "You'll be using this link station just for the next few days during orientation. Once you're ready for field work, you and your team will be using one of the field stations." She came to an open link pod and turned around, motioning him in, "After you."

Without further ado, Davian hopped up onto the bed and laid himself out on the gel mat beneath him, feeling it instantly conform to his body curvature.

"Just relax and let your mind go blank, though somehow, I doubt you'll have trouble with that part." Lopez closed the network cage down over Davian's chest and closed the pod, engulfing Steele in total darkness save for the eerie green glow of the devices around him. He laid his head back in the gel and relaxed, slowly succumbing to the urge to sleep.

He awoke slowly, his vision blurred and bright lights accosting his senses. A pair of evo-suited techs were bent over him, shining lights in his eyes and talking to him. He looked around as best he could for now, finding himself in the medical iso-chamber he'd been looking into a moment ago.

One of the techs, a man, leaned closer, "Mr. Steele, can you hear me?"

The other tech, a woman, spotted a hand light in each of Davian's eyes briefly and nodded, "Pupilary reflex looks good." She snapped her fingers twice next to each of his ears, causing them to twitch, "Pinna response checks out."

The other tech nodded and looked at Davian again, "Mr. Steele, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you. Now quit shining the lights in my eyes."

He nodded and looked at the woman, making a "kill" motion across his neck, "Sorry about that. Sounds like your retinal reception is good." He stepped back and looked at his computer board, "I need to run you though a quick battery of sensory/motor tests to make sure nothing's wrong with your avatar. Can you sit up for me, Mr. Steele?"

Davian levered himself up slowly and swung his legs off the bed. He looked down at his hands. His skin was a deep shade of cerulean blue with darkened stripes running up his arms. His fingers were long and slender, which was the general description of most of his body now. He looked at his hands and chuckled lightly. This was it; he was actually in the avatar body! It was quite amazing and more than a little peculiar to him.

The tech held up his hands, "Mr. Steele, can you touch your thumbs to the tips of each of your fingers for me?" Davian did so and the tech nodded, "Good. Now reach your arms forward and show me your palms…Good. Now stretch your arms out…Now rotate them once." He nodded in satisfaction before stepping aside, "Good. Now stretch your legs out and rotate your feet once for me…Okay, now wiggle your toes, please." Once Davian finished the final test, the tech nodded as he looked at his board, "Excellent. Looks like general motor control checks out."

Davian nodded appreciatively, glad to know that this new body of his seemed to be in working order. Just then, he felt something tap his shoulder and his head whipped around to see, but nothing was there. He then felt the same tap on his other shoulder, and repeated his looking around only to find nothing again.

The tech looked up at him, "Is something wrong, Mr. Steele?"

Davian nodded, "Yeah. Who's the wise guy playing the joke on me?"

The tech chuckled, "_You're_ the wise guy. That's your tail."

"Tail?" Davian's head came up with the comment and he reached around to his backside to find the posterior extremity stemming from the base of his spine just above his rump, "Yup. There's a tail back there. That's going to take some getting used to."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. Most people do. And that also checks out your reflex responses." The tech set the board aside and walked around to Davian's other side, "Okay, Mr. Steele. I need you to take things kinda slow from here on out. Can you stand up for me?"

Davian slid off the bed and stood to his feet. He came to full height to find himself looking down at the tech, who was a full meter or so below his eye level.

"Watch your head. You're a lot taller than you're used to." He picked up his computer and looked up to Davian, "How's you're balance feel? Any dizziness, nausea, disorientation?"

Davian steadied himself on extraordinarily slender legs and shook his head, "Nope. Feels normal enough, I guess. Not that I would know what 'normal' is."

"Great." The tech nodded and put his board under his arm, "Let me unhook you from all this plumbing and I'll bring you to the course so you can get a feel for your new look." He took a few minutes to disconnect him from all the leads he was hooked up to, then led through an enlarged doorway designed for the avatar's height.

"So, how do you like it?"

Davian turned around to the source of the voice to find another Na'vi avatar, this one female and remarkably striking to Dr. Simon's likeness, wearing rough-looking clothes fit for field work.

Davian smiled and nodded, "It's…trippy. That's for sure. Definitely an experience."

"I think you'll find it more a convenience than an experience out here." Dr. Simon motioned to the tech Davian was following, "Donny will show you to the obstacle course where you can get used to it. He'll also set you up with some better threads for while you're working." She pointed to Davian's attire, which was little more than an oversized hospital gown.

The rest of the day was spent getting a crash-course acclimation to the new avatar body. Davian was amazed about it all. Besides getting used to the tail and being taller than the humans around him, it felt like it was his own body. Of course, Dr. Simon said that was the whole point. The present phase of orientation finished at the end of the day, when all of the avatars gathered in an open-air longhouse to hit the rack.

Davian sat down on his bunk and reached around to the back of his head. During his jogs, he'd felt something flopping around on his backside, but he knew it wasn't his tail this time. He found what felt like a thick braid at the back of his head and pulled it around to look at it. The thing fell past his waist line and was the same matte black as the rest of his hair.

Dr. Simon's avatar walked up next to Davian and he smirked up at her, "I never took myself for a ponytail kind of guy. Where can I get a decent high-and-tight around here?"

She shook her head, "You can get a haircut at any facility barber, but not for that." She sat down next to him and pushed aside the hair at the tip to reveal a set of odd looking white tendrils, wriggling back and forth slowly.

"That's a bundle of nerve fibers that stems directly from your posterior cerebral cortex. All the avatars and Na'vi have one." She gestured to the back of her own head to prove the point, "We're not entirely sure what it's for, but don't go playing with it, all the same." She stood up and slapped his shoulder, "It's lights-out. Everyone hit the sack. No dilly-dallying."

Davian tossed his queue back over his shoulder and stripped off his shirt before lying down for the night. "Interesting" was only the half of it; his first day in a new body. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Davian's eyes sprang open and he looked around at the inside of the link pod. It was almost like a dream, but still real enough to be reality. And the feeling it left him with…well, "weird" could only begin to describe it. The pod opened and Davian looked up into Dr. Lopez's face.

Davian just chuckled as she unlocked the network cage, "So that's it? The avatar goes to sleep and I wake up here?"

"That's it." Lopez nodded as she opened the cage, "But you still need to catch a meal and some of your own rack time. It's one brain with two bodies now, and you need to tend to the needs of both."

"It's kind of like having kids." Dr. Simon spoke up as she climbed out of her own link pod, "You have to think for them and it's another mouth to feed. I know; I have a son about your age." She walked over and steadied Davian as he climbed awkwardly out of his pod, "Now's the part where you feed the real you. I think you can appreciate that."

Davian nodded as the rumble in his stomach confirmed the notion, "Yes. I can definitely appreciate that."

The next few days went by quickly as Davian and all the new guys trained with their avatars. Once orientation was finally complete, the avatar teams were divided up and sent out. Davian was assigned to the lead sociology team, the team that would be studying the Na'vi very closely much like an anthropologist would study a tribe of humans back on Earth. Dr. Simon was in charge of the team herself, saying she didn't want a team in direct contact with the locals fouling things up. Davian had already informed her that he was going to be operating solo for the duration of his studies, and she was fine with it. Just as long as he vlogged everything at the end of the day and he made sure his avatar was safe before breaking the link, she was okay with his preferred MO. In truth, only Davian's avatar would be operating solo. The real Davian Steele would still be at the remote link station with the rest of the team, so "solo" was an oddly relative term in this case.

The next morning, the teams and their avatars were packed up into a bunch of transports, demilitarized SA-2 Samson tilt-rotors, and shipped off to parts unknown. The lead sociology team headed due west of the base for a couple hundred klicks, toward a large group of Na'vi known as the Omaticaya, roughly translated "Blue Flute Clan". They flew over the jungle landscapes for several hours until they came to the remote site where they'd be working, perched on a cliff above the forest. The chopper set down and the pilot helped them offload the supplies they brought with them. The choppers would stay at the site and make weekly runs back to Hell's Gate for anything the researchers needed. Davian went to the edge of the cliff and looked out across the landscape. The vista from here was spectacular. The verdant jungles seemed to roll on for miles, occasionally broken by the colossal trees that rose high above the rest of the canopy. It was an amazing view.

The rest of the day was spent in link, finding good campsites for the avatars. While everyone else found a good site at the base of the cliff, it didn't take long for Davian to find a place far away from everyone else. It was nice and isolated, in a small clearing so the sun could shine in clearly and rainwater could be collected, but more importantly, it was close to the Na'vi settlement. Not close enough to be encroaching on them, but close enough that Davian wouldn't have to go far to get to them everyday. He finished setting up the sonic resonator to keep animals away and looked at his watch. There were still a few hours before nightfall, so he decided to get a head start on his research. Davian grabbed his computer and set out on foot toward the Na'vi settlement, "Hometree" as the locals called it. He had a military-grade M-60 assault rifle for defense in his gear, but he knew better than to bring it with him. While it was dangerous to venture into the wilds unarmed, it was just as dangerous, if not more so, to make the Na'vi think he was hostile.

Davian came within sight of the settlement and paused to take in the scene. He'd heard stories about the Hometree that had been destroyed in the Incident seven years ago, but that didn't prepare him for the sheer size of the tree in front of him. It had to be the size of a small mountain, probably a good three or four times the size of even the great redwoods of Earth. Within and around the enormous tree was the object of his search. The blue-skinned inhabitants of Pandora went about their lives in their tribal community, seemingly unaware of Davian's presence. He smiled as he sat down on the grass and pulled out his binoculars, zooming in on the base of the tree and the Na'vi around it. He would watch them from afar like this for a while, a couple of months maybe, before trying to get closer. Once he knew more about them, he would try to directly contact them. He watched for quite some time, periodically taking down notes on his computer board, as the Na'vi went about their business. Everything about them he found positively captivating. After a long time, Davian lowered his binoculars and checked his watch. It was about an hour before sundown, which meant he had to wrap it up and head back so he could get his campsite ready for a night in the jungle. He stood up to gather his things and turned to head back.

As he approached the edge of the jungle, Davian paused and looked back at Hometree. He didn't know why, but he felt a little like he was being watched. He shrugged it off as jungle paranoia as he turned to head back to camp.

The _olo'eyktan_ of the Omaticaya stood proudly on the branch high above the ground, his arms folded over his chest and his tail waving causally as he looked down at the being observing his clan. The patrol had informed him of the creature's presence only a few hours ago. The creature looked like his people, very likely sounded and even smelled like his people, but the chieftain new otherwise. He knew a Dreamwalker when he saw one. He'd been one himself, which meant he knew what to look for to tell them apart from the native Na'vi. He watched as it stood to gather its things. It thought they were unaware of its presence. That was just one of many things the Dreamwalker was wrong about.

"{You sent for me, _olo'eyktan_?}" The young female voice spoke up from behind him in their native tongue. The chieftain turned to find a young woman huntress of the clan, a slender and beautiful girl of his people, wearing traditional clan garb and carrying a longbow across her back. The chieftain motioned her forward and pointed toward the intruder in the distance.

The girl narrowed her eyes when she saw, "{_Uniltìranyu_. If you wish me to hunt it down…}"

"{No.}" The chieftain shook his head, rattling the chains of beads and teeth hanging from his neck, "{He's no threat to us yet. I want you to watch him, Sateyah. See what he does and learn his purpose here. Then we'll decide if he lives or dies.}"

The young huntress, Sateyah, nodded firmly, "{As you wish, _ma eyktan_.}" With that, she turned and swiftly darted back down the branch to descend the tree. After she was gone, another Na'vi woman came up the branch, coming up behind the chieftain and resting her hands affectionately on his shoulders.

The chieftain nodded down toward the Dreamwalker as he disappeared into the forest, "{They've returned.}"

The woman behind him shook her head, "{He doesn't seem to be a danger.}"

"{We can't be certain of that, Neytiri. Even one Dreamwalker could be dangerous. I'm proof of that.}" He reached up to his shoulder to take his mate's hand in his own, "{We'll watch him for now. Perhaps he's not the self-serving _skxawng_ his predecessors were.}" On that thought, they both turned and descended the branch into the tree for the night.


	3. Beginnings to Come

2: Beginnings to Come

Davian's alarm clock went off on time, which was about an hour earlier than he wanted it to. He slapped it quiet and just rolled over. One of the myriad beauties of not being a marine anymore was being able to set his own schedule, that is when he didn't have a taskmaster of a team leader cracking her whip of punctuality over him every morning.

Dr. Simon walked down the row of bunks and started poking at the bundle of blankets that was Davian on the top bunk at the end, "Come on, soldier. Rise and shine. Brand new day and lots of stuff to do." Davian's only response to her prodding was grunting at her with his face buried in his pillow.

Anita leaned on the bunk, "Davian, what are you doing?"

"Trying to smother myself. If I suffocate, I won't have to get up so early." His answer came back muffled through the pillow.

The doctor chuckled lightly, "Were you this sluggish in the marines?"

Davian shook his head, his face still in the pillow, "No. But I'm not in the Corps anymore. So I was hoping to sleep in a little."

Dr. Simon jabbed him in the ribs, "Not on my watch, lazy bones."

"All right, all right. I can take a hint." The former marine finally rolled over and threw the covers off to get up, "You know, doc, you remind me of my mom sometimes."

"Well, if she's not around to make you brush your teeth and eat your vegetables, then who will?" Dr. Simon tossed Davian a bar of soap, "Get yourself cleaned up and fed so we can get to work today. So far, you're the only one who's making any progress these days."

Davian hurried through a shower and sat down to an even more hurried breakfast. "Progress" was a relative term in this case. The last two weeks had been both fruitful and barren at the same time. While the other members of the team had been logging various kinds of clan activity amongst the Omaticaya, Davian's research had been going surprisingly slow. At the rate he was going, he might be able to go to the direct contact step in a decade or two. It was slow and frustrating, but necessary in the end, and he'd been learning a lot about them, so he couldn't rightly complain.

The soldier-scientist finished breakfast and hopped into his link pod to start his "other morning" as he called it. At times like these, he was jealous of his avatar. The avatar would always get a sound sleep because it was essentially comatose while not in use. Davian only wished he could unplug himself from his own body every now and then so he could get a good night's rest. He relaxed in the chamber and made the link to his avatar to start his day…again.

Davian blinked his eyes open to be staring at the ceiling of his tent once again. He got up and put on a shirt on before venturing out for the morning. He climbed out of the tent and looked around. The fire was dead, as usual, and some of the items around the campsite had been disturbed. There had likely been yet another midnight visitor, a rather common occurrence on Pandora it seemed. He went to the nearby tree and retrieved the food he'd hung from the branch to keep it away from the local fauna. After shooing away the customary bugs on the bag, Davian built a new fire and sat down to "second breakfast". After all, he'd already eaten that morning, and yet he was still hungry when he woke up; a little bit of déjà vu, there. After another quick breakfast, Davian gathered his gear and set out to take up his usual observation post on the fringes of the Omaticaya Hometree community.

Sateyah observed the Dreamwalker from the concealment of a shaded tree branch. She watched him as he went about his morning habits and shook her head. Did this man know nothing of the forest? The noise he made, his flimsy dwelling, the way he trampled the brush in his path, and the fires – oh, the fires! Sateyah had been entering his camp every night for the last two weeks to put out the infernal fires he built. If she didn't, he'd have been easy prey for the packs of _nantang_ that prowled the night in these parts. He would not feel the forest, and if it wasn't going to be the death of him, Sateyah's frustrations with his stupidity would be.

She made her way through the forest canopy to follow him covertly as he went back to the outskirts of the village as he did every day, nimbly swinging through the trees and climbing across limbs to pursue him. She paused on a branch and watched as the Dreamwalker climbed over a tree root to continue on his way. Sateyah shook her head again. She didn't know whether to hate him or pity him. He clearly had no sense of the forest, and yet he seemed strong enough and determined enough to be out here on his own for this long. He was a unique one; that was for certain.

As she watched, Sateyah's eyes suddenly widened and her ears perked up. As the Dreamwalker made his way through the forest, a cluster of _atrokirina'_, seeds of the Sacred Tree, gracefully floated through the air he'd just passed through. They followed him down the path, oddly enough, as though they were drawn to him. Sateyah thought idly to herself as he continued on his path. Could this be a sign from Eywa; a sign that he had a pure spirit? She would have to tell the _tsahík_ of this.

Sateyah continued to watch the Dreamwalker as she'd been told as the day went on. Just like every other day, he did the same thing. He went to the furthest fringes away from Hometree and sat down to observe the clan as they went about their lives. He would do this all day, every day. It was more than a little monotonous, to say the least, but today was somewhat different. Today, Sateyah observed the Dreamwalker with the sign she'd seen in mind, trying to See him for herself, see if he was indeed of a pure spirit. She'd been watching him closely, and nothing he had done in the last two weeks indicated that he was a danger to the clan, and now there was this sign. It was ample cause for thought in her mind. As the day drew to a close, Sateyah put her thoughts aside as she followed him back to his camp. She would watch him more closely from now on, keeping this in mind, and see how it unfolded.

Davian walked back into his camp after another long and rather uneventful day of observing the Na'vi. It was a most puzzling question to him. They did the same things every day. So why did he find them so fascinating? He found them somehow alluring, captivating in a way that he just couldn't explain. He shrugged it off as he dropped his gear next to his tent and went about looking for more pitch for the fire.

As soon as his computer case hit the ground was when he heard it. A high-pitched, laugh-like yelp; rather close from the sound of it. Davian's ears perked up and he looked around the clearing. The sun had fallen behind the horizon and his fire had gone out again, leaving only the light from inside his tent, so he couldn't see very far. But Davian's senses as a soldier were flaring up. Something was out there, and it wasn't friendly.

His suspicions were justified when four viperwolves dashed out of the brush and quickly surrounded him. His first instinct was to go for his gun, but it was well out of reach and one of the animals was between him and it. He lowered himself into a crouch as the viperwolves slowly closed their circle. The only weapon he had on him was a large survival knife, meaning he was in no condition to fight off four predators hand-to-hand. He saw the one closest to his rifle crouch low as if readying to pounce. Davian bit his lip. He was going to have to time this perfectly. He waited until the animal lunged, and Davian made his move. He dove toward the wolf and shoulder-rolled under it as it flew over him. He rolled to his feet with his rifle in hand, and he leveled it on the predators in front of him. Now he had two options: open up with full-auto on the viperwolves, or try to scare them off. Either one would accomplish the intended goal.

Davian shook his head, "I don't want to kill you critters if I don't have to." The largest of the wolves lunged forward and snarled loudly, as if trying to scare him. Never having been the easily intimidated type, Davian only snarled right back, yelling at the pack in a bloodthirsty scream. Stupid though the gesture may have been normally, in this case the viperwolves seemed to react to it. They all recoiled, as if they weren't expecting this reaction from their prey. The lead wolf snarled again, and Davian snarled back, once again spooking the pack. Having fallen for this trick before, he took a quick glance over his shoulder and confirmed that they weren't cowering from a larger predator behind him. It seemed that he was indeed scaring them.

Davian lowered his rifle and bumped his chest, "Come on! You want a piece of me? Bring it!" The viperwolves took a step back away from him. Now it seemed that _they_ where afraid of _him_.

Davian lunged toward them, "Come on! You're not so tough!" The pack of predators backed away from him, their spindly tails tucked firmly between their legs.

The marine nodded in satisfaction, "Who's the predator now? Why don't you guys high-tail it back to mommy?" The pack didn't move much, not wanting to abandon a hunt on an empty stomach.

"Shoo!" Davian pointed his rifle into the air and fired three rounds to spook them, "Go on! Get out of here!" The viperwovles immediately turned and ran back into the brush, their yelps following them into the distance.

Davian rested his rifle on his shoulder, "A planet where you can reason with the wildlife. I think I've officially seen everything." He reset the safety on his weapon and set it down inside the tent. He may have scared off the viperwolves, but he wanted his firearm within reach all the same in case they returned with a bigger pack. Davian acknowledged the possibility of having to wake up a few times during the night to make sure nothing was dining on his avatar. It was an annoying prospect, but necessary, so he was going to have to do it. He resigned himself to a long night as he crawled into his tent.

Sateyah watched with wide eyes from her tree as the _nantang_ ran back into the forest. It was settled in her mind now. This was no ordinary Dreamwalker. First, there was the sign she had seen, and now this. He'd done his best to drive the _nantang_ off without harming them, which told her that he respected their lives. And what's more, he'd succeeded. To stare down a pack of predators against four to one odds was a feat that required no small amount of courage. He may be a Dreamwalker, but he had the soul of a warrior…the soul of a Na'vi. Sateyah made up her mind. The time for watching was past. It was now time for action. She nodded to herself before jumping down to the forest floor below.

Davian smacked his alarm clock when it sounded and rolled out of bed, nearly falling to the floor in the process. He'd had a horrible night. After vlogging last evening's activities with the viperwolves, Dr. Simon had insisted that he wake up at least three times during the night to check on his avatar. "Ensuring the safety of a significant Foundation investment" as she put it. Since only one person was compatible with the avatar, that left only one person to do the job. Right now, Davian felt like the morning after an all-night tequila bender; "wasted" wasn't the half of it. A cold shower and about five cups of straight coffee helped bring him out of it a bit, but he still felt trashed as he climbed into his link pod. Hopefully, his human body could rest while he went about his day in his Na'vi body.

Davian's avatar awoke feeling surprisingly chipper compared to how his real body felt. He sat up and stretched. At least something was going right today. He pulled on a shirt and climbed out of his tent to start his day.

The scientist marine climbed out of the tent and immediately froze when he looked up. There was an adult Na'vi woman crouched in the middle of his campsite, poking at some glowing embers in the fire pit with a stick. She looked up at him as he stood up slowly, but didn't move beyond that. She was dressed in a traditional tribal garb, which was to say rather scantly. A simple grey loincloth and band covered her private parts, leaving the rest of her blue skin exposed. Her tail had a pair of beaded cords braided around it as she slowly waved it from side to side, and her hair fell in small dreadlocks down to her lower shoulder blades. She wore a beaded necklace with an odd amulet hanging at the end. She was quite attractive as the natives were concerned, and Davian found himself needing to make a concerted effort not to stare. Davian's eyes darted briefly toward where his rifle rested. He wanted to know where it was in case things went bad. Apparently, she noticed, because he saw her trio of slender fingers work once around the grip of the longbow in her hand.

Davian knelt to one knee and held out his hand, "Hello. My name is Davian. What's yours?" She didn't answer, but rather just stared at him with large golden eyes.

With his first question unanswered, Davian pointed toward the village, "Are you one of the Omaticaya?" Once again, she simply stared at him, meaning she either didn't know what he was saying, or she had other reasons for being here that didn't include small-talk.

He nodded with resignation, "Okay. If you don't want to tell me, that's all right." He gestured toward his camping gear, "Just so you know, I'm going to cook some food now. I haven't eaten yet this morning." He picked up a pot and turned to fill it at the purifier tank.

"The _nantang_…attack you last night." Davian's head snapped around at hearing her speak, "You…not kill…why?"

Davian set the pot down, "_nantang_?" He furrowed his brow for a moment, "You mean the viperwolves?"

"Yes," The Na'vi woman nodded quickly, "_nantang_. Why did you not kill?"

"Why didn't I kill them?" Davian shifted his weight to his other knee and he shrugged, "They're just hungry animals; just doing what comes naturally. Why should I kill them just because they don't know any better?"

She didn't respond to his answer aside from simply staring at him again, her tail twitching back and forth restlessly. The look on her face was almost like she was trying to figure out what to do with Davian. He went back to preparing his breakfast as she scrutinized him, but her gaze started making him feel rather self-conscious.

It was a long and awkwardly silent moment before she stood and gestured to Davian, "Come. Follow."

Her voice brought Davian's head around again, "What?"

"Follow." She turned to go into the woods. Davian dropped what he was doing and stood to follow her as he was bidden. He briefly considered bringing his computer with him, but decided against it. He could vlog everything he saw when he broke link for the night. He followed the woman with a bit of anticipation in his step. Maybe she could help him make contact with the villagers. His research could jump into overdrive with her assistance. It wasn't long before Davian realized that she was leading him down the same path he'd been taking to and from the village every day. That was when he realized she'd been watching him for a while now. That's why he felt like he was being watched all the time; he was.

They broke through into the clearing surrounding Hometree and the woman proceeded onward toward the enormous roots. They quickly passed up the spot Davian had been using as his observation post. He'd fairly effectively flattened the grass in that spot from two weeks of sitting exactly there every day. They continued on toward Hometree as the woman led Davian. As they approached the roots, Davian paused to look up and nearly fell backward in the process. The size of the tree could never be properly conveyed from a distance, and trying to sum it up in words was like saying the Grand Canyon was "big". Davian shook himself free of his reverie and hurried forward to catch up with his guide. This was the closest he'd been to the settlement, and they were still going closer.

As they approached Hometree, a group of Na'vi riding direhorses came out of nowhere and surrounded them, raising their bows and aiming at Davian. The woman raised her hand toward them and said something in the native language, which seemed to stop them. A sturdy-looking warrior rode his mount closer to the woman and spoke to her in their language.

The clan's second-in-command approached Sateyah on his _pa'li_ and looked at her guest, "{Why have you brought him here, Sateyah? You know the command of _olo'eyktan_ that these demons are forbidden in Hometree.}"

Sateyah nodded confidently, "{I have reason to bring him, Txur'Tul. I believe _olo'eyktan_ and _tsahík_ must see him.}"

The warrior, Txur'Tul, looked at Davian for a moment longer before nodding reluctantly, "{Very well. Bring him. But know that I'll kill him if I feel he's a danger.}" He turned his horse around and led the group forward. The warriors in his party kept their bows trained on Davian as they made their way closer to Hometree.

The girl looked back at Davian and motioned him to follow her again as the group of warriors joined them on their path. He continued with her tentatively, casting sidelong glances at the warriors surrounding him with bows still at the ready. As they passed the first set of roots, which were more like columns than tree roots, Davian saw that his original estimates of the clan's size had been very wrong. The bits of bustle he'd been observing around the base of the tree betrayed only a minor fraction of the population within. The place was positively teeming with Na'vi, men, women, and children alike. Many of them gathered around as he followed the woman into their home, some leaning forward from the crowd to get a closer look at him and some even going so far as to touch the outsider. A child darted out to touch his arm before recoiling to the safety of his mother. In spite of their invasions of his personal space, Davian tolerated it. He knew he was probably the first of his kind they'd seen in a long time, and this was just as much a new experience for them as it was for him.

Finally, the journey through the sea of people ended as they came to a pair of thick roots that spiraled upward like a staircase. A rather important looking woman stood at the base, likely some sort of clan leader. The woman guiding Davian approached her and began speaking to her in the native tongue, leaving Davian in the dust as they conversed.

Sateyah approached the woman and nodded respectfully, "{I See you, Neytiri.}"

Neytiri responded with a nod of her own, "{I See you, Sateyah.}" She looked around her shoulder, "{And I see that you've brought the Dreamwalker to us. Why?}"

"{I brought him so you may See him, _tsahík_.}" Sateyah glanced back at him briefly before stepping closer, "{I believe there has been a sign. I believe he may be chosen of Eywa.}"

Neytiri shook her head, "{Signs do not happen every day, Sateyah. I will see him for myself.}" She stepped around her and came invasively close to Davian to look him over carefully. She walked a slow circle around him, looking at his hair, his queue, his skin, his clothes, his tail, everything. She came around in front of him again and looked into his eyes. She couldn't quite determine what it was, but there something familiar about him, something that reminded Neytiri of her mate. Could it be that he was also of a pure spirit?

"{What's _he_ doing here?}"

Neytiri turned around as her mate, the clan chieftain, descended one of the spiral roots, a scowl on his face as he looked at the outsider in their midst. Davian just stood there amidst the exchanges with a befuddled look on his face, trying to make sense of it all, but more lost than a sheep in a blizzard because of their language. He was an anthropologist, not a linguist.

Sateyah stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully, "{That is my doing, _olo'eyktan_. I brought the Dreamwalker here so that you may See him.}"

The chieftain was quite a sight to behold as he approached Davian. He was clearly the fittest specimen of them, wearing a pair of beaded bands on both of his well-sculpted biceps and a decorative headband made of what looked like leather in addition to an ornate beaded collar around his neck. His hair was shaven on both temples while the rest descended the top and back of his head in a mohawk of small, thin dreadlocks that ended well past his shoulders. What unnerved Davian the most was the bow and arrows he held in his hand and the knife across his chest, and the look on his face that said he was inclined to used them. He stepped invasively close to Davian and looked him over once, standing eye-to-eye with him. One thing Davian found quite interesting about the chieftain was a number of human-like features his body boasted. His hands had a total of five fingers rather than the four most Na'vi did, and his build was considerably stockier than the willowy inhabitants of the planet. To Davian, he looked a lot like…an avatar?

The chieftain glanced at his mate, "{What's your sense of him, Neytiri?}"

She shrugged, shaking the bead chains she wore, "{He seems as any other Dreamwalker, but…there is something…pure about him. Something that says we should not dismiss him so quickly.}"

The chieftain looked at Davian and pointed at him, "Come with me. I want a word with you."

Davian's eyes widened, "What? You speak English?"

"Follow me." The chieftain repeated himself only once before turning around and ascending one of the roots. Davian reluctantly followed him up, not entirely sure that he wanted to be alone with a guy who seemed like he wanted to kill him so badly. They ascended the roots for a quite a bit before stepping into what seemed to be a natural chamber further up in the tree's trunk. There were what appeared to be either natural or carved windows along the walls and even a large balcony along one side.

The chieftain set his weapons down before turning around and folding his arms over his chest, "So, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Davian smiled, "So you do speak English."

"A lot better than you think. Now answer my question. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Davian shut off the small-talk generator, seeing that this Na'vi was the "strictly business" type, "My name's Davian. Davian Steele. I'm a scientist, a researcher studying your people."

The chieftain huffed, "A scientist…" He pointed to Davian's chest, "…who looks more like a soldier to me."

Davian looked down to what he referred to, seeing his survival knife positioned upside down on the front of his vest and ready for a quick main-hand draw, something he'd picked up in the Corps.

The chieftain folded his arms again, "A scholar who is also a warrior. What's your service record, Steele?"

Davian shrugged, "Marines. Scout/sniper and DM. Four years."

The chief's eyebrows rose appreciatively, "Marines, huh?" He smirked, "Semper Fi."

"Semper Fi?" Davian's brow furrowed, "Hold on a minute. How do you know so much about human culture? Just who are you really?"

The chieftain turned to look out one of the windows, "My people know me as Jakesully of the Omaticaya." He looked at Davian, "But you would've known me as Jake Sully, ex-marine and avatar driver."

Davian's eyebrows rose in surprise, "So…this is your avatar then?"

Jake shook his head, "No. This is the real me."

The scientist furrowed his brow, "Care to run that by me again?"

"Make yourself comfortable." Jake stooped down where he stood, gesturing for Davian to do the same, "Maybe I should start at the beginning…" The two spent the next hour talking as Jake recounted the story of the Pandora Incident seven years ago, except from an insider's perspective. Davian was all ears as Jake went on about how the Sky People wanted to take what wasn't theirs, and were willing to displace and even kill anyone who stood in their way. He was gripped as Jake recounted the story of how the clans united, the battle at the Tree of Souls, how Eywa came to their aid just when all seemed lost.

Jake wrapped up the story with the explanation of how he came to be as he was now, "…They performed an ancient ritual that permanently transferred me from my human body to my avatar. I can't tell you how much I wanted this. Not only can I walk, but I'm part of something worth fighting for now, and…" He looked up and smiled as the woman Davian had seen below walked up next to him and rested her hand on his shoulder, "…I'm loved, which is a whole lot more than I could say for my sorry old life."

"Wow." Davian finally stopped staring and rubbed his forehead, "That's all I can really say about that. And what's crazier is that I believe it all."

Jake looked up at the woman next to him when she tapped his shoulder, "The people grow restless, Jake. They want to know what is to become of the Dreamwalker."

"Tell them to be patient, Neytiri. We'll be done soon." She nodded and descended the root to pass on the message.

Davian furrowed his brow curiously, "What's a Dreamwalker?"

"You are. It's my people's name for an avatar." Jake stood again and turned to look out the window, folding his arms once again, "As much as I wouldn't mind you studying us, I'm not going to be able to allow it. As I just finished saying, our dealings with humans have been…trouble in the past."

Davian stood and shook his head, "I assure you, the Foundation isn't here to strip-mine the place. We're here strictly for the science. We understand that Pandora's wealth isn't in the ground."

"You can say that all you want, but words are just words, and I can't trust the lives of my clan to them." Jake turned to face Davian, "As _olo'eyktan_ of my clan, it's my job to ensure the safety of my people, and that's a duty I do _not_ take lightly. Which is why I plan to…" Jake trailed off and furrowed his brow subtly when he saw it, keeping his surprise to himself. It was a small cluster of _atrokirina'_ resting gently on Davian's right shoulder. They stayed there for a moment before lighting off again and fluttering slowly away.

"Plan to do what?" Davian questioned, completely oblivious to what had just occurred.

Jake nodded slowly, "…to help you with your research." He walked around Davian, "Come with me." They descended the roots down to the forest floor, where the people still stood gathered around. The hum of their muted conversation dulled to a hush as Jake came into view with Davian in his wake. The scientist was thoroughly puzzled by Jake's sudden change of mind, but he wasn't going to complain about it.

Jake approached Neytiri and Sateyah, "{I've come to a decision. We're going to teach him the ways of our people.}"

Davian piped up from behind, "Um, excuse me. You lost me at the whole 'alien language' part."

They ignored him as Sateyah furrowed her brow curiously, "{Why would we do this for him?}"

Jake took a breath before continuing, "{Because I believe he's chosen of Eywa.}"

Neytiri's ears perked up, "{You've seen a sign, also?}"

"{Yes, I have.}" The chieftain nodded before looking at the young huntress with them, "{Which is also why I want you to train him, Sateyah.}"

Her eyes widened in surprise and her ears flattened back, "{Me? Aren't there others better suited?}"

Jake shook his head, "{You've observed him these past two weeks, Sateyah. You know his behaviors. And you were the first to see these signs. Who better than you to train him?}" The clan leader looked back at Davian, "{He's searching for something, even if he doesn't know it yet. By doing this, hopefully we can help him find what he seeks.}"

Sateyah just stared at Jake speechlessly for a moment before bowing her head respectfully, "{As you wish, _ma eyktan_.}"

"{Thank you.}" Jake turned and led her over to Davian, who was waiting patiently to be let in on the conversation, "Davian, as leader of this clan, I've decided that we're going to teach you the ways of the Na'vi. You're going to learn our culture, our language, everything. That should help you out in your research." He gestured to the woman next to him, "This is Sateyah. You're already familiar with her because she's been watching you for a while now. She'll be in charge of your training."

Davian's eyes widened suddenly and his ears perked up, "You're…you're going to teach me the ways of the Na'vi?" He sputtered for a moment before regaining his wits, "All I can say is thank you. That's a dream come true for an anthropologist."

Jake nodded, "Then it's settled. You can get started immediately." He stepped forward and put a hand on Davian's shoulder, "I hope you're a fast learner." With that, he turned and walked up the roots, Neytiri closely behind him.

Sateyah stepped closer to Davian, "I am called Sateyah. It is Jakesully's will that I teach you our ways. You will learn to move as we do, hunt as we do, speak as we do. In time, _olo'eyktan_ may even allow you to become one of us; One of the People." As she spoke, her tone suggested that she was not doing this because she wanted to.

Davian nodded carefully, "That's all well and good, but I think I should tell you now that I'm not going to be staying here forever. Once I've learned all I can, I have to go back to my people to tell them what I've learned, so we can better understand the Na'vi."

"That is good." The huntress nodded curtly, "Perhaps what you learn will teach the Sky People to leave us alone."

Just as Jake said, Davian's training began immediately, starting with trading his human clothes for traditional clan garb, which was to say a loincloth and nothing else. Needless to say, Davian felt quite exposed in the garment. He followed Sateyah to an open field away from the Tree, where a few direhorses wandered from flower to flower sipping nectar. Sateyah turned around and tossed Davian a longbow and arrow, which he caught awkwardly.

She stepped back and folded her arms, "Draw the bow." Davian did as he was told, drawing the arrow back in a proper traditional human form.

Sateyah shook her head adamantly, rattling the beads in her hair, "Your form is wrong." She stepped forward and proceeded to accost Davian with a myriad of corrections. She kicked his feet further apart, turned his left hand around, straightened his right arm, raised his left elbow, lowered his right shoulder, pushed in his gut, and had him take a deep breath to expand his chest.

She stepped back and folded her arms again, "This is proper form. Learn it and remember it."

"You expect me to remember it with one demonstration?" Davian lowered the bow as his arms grew tired.

Sateyah shrugged casually, "The Sky People are so much greater than Na'vi. If you are truly so great, you will remember." She pointed to him, "Now draw the bow." Davian drew the bow again, trying to use proper Na'vi form this time. Sateyah shook her head again and muttered something in Na'vi before stepping forward and correcting his form again.

Davian lowered the bow as she stepped back, "I thought that _was_ correct form."

"You think it is correct?" She nodded down range, "Loose the arrow." Davian snorted as he drew back the arrow and aimed down range. He knew some tips about archery, and he planned on showing his instructor a thing or two about what he knew. He loosed the arrow, letting it fly about thirty or forty meters before planting in the dirt.

He looked at Sateyah, "You see? That wasn't bad."

Sateyah's scowl said otherwise, "If you were hunting with children, no, it was not. Your draw was shallow and your loose was weak. The arrow could have gone much farther and with greater force." She turned to go retrieve the arrow, "Eywa's pity for foolish creatures must be how you survived this long."

Davian rolled his eyes as Sateyah retrieved the arrow, "Yippee. I've made a friend." Sateyah tossed the arrow at him when she returned and finished it out with a slap to the back of his head as she passed him.

She turned and folded her arms again, "Now draw properly, _eltu hì'i."_

The rest of the day's training that wasn't practice with the bow consisted of running. Sateyah took Davian along some trails around Hometree over, under, and through the forest, teaching him how to maintain his balance and to toughen his feet up. There were a few gaps Sateyah hopped over quite nimbly that she had to goad Davian into jumping himself. The next time Davian saw Jake was at the evening meal around the bonfire. There was more than one local who got a little miffed at Davian for more than one tail stepped on as he made his way around the fire to find a place to sit. He wasn't off to a good start at making friends in the clan, especially considering his instructor's attitude toward him.

Sateyah sat him down before getting some food, what the Na'vi called _teylu_, for both of them before squatting down next to him.

"Tomorrow, you will learn of _tsahaylu_ and you will learn to ride _pa'li_." She opened the leaf that held her _teylu_ and took a bite.

Davian suppressed a snort, "Heck of a lesson plan. Nice to know I have a choice."

Sateyah set her food down and glared at him, "You come to us to learn, and then you make jests when we try to teach you." She shook her head as she went back to eating, "_Tsahík_ Mo'at was right. You cannot fill a cup that is already full."

The scientist's eyes widened suddenly with the comment, mostly about the fact that she was right. He'd come to the Na'vi to learn about them, but instead he'd been treating it like he was teaching them. He'd been letting his own intelligence and sarcasm get in the way of the real reason he was here in the first place. For his first day learning the ways of the Na'vi, he wasn't off to a good start. Perhaps it was time that the heady scientist empty his cup and allow it to be filled.

Davian glanced at Sateyah as he opened his _teylu_, "Hey, uh…for what it's worth…I'm sorry." In response, Sateyah simply looked at him briefly before going back to her meal.

Rather than hit the rack for the night, Sateyah saw it necessary to take another run through some of the higher trails around Hometree before bunking down. As the sun disappeared behind the horizon and Polyphemus began to rise, Davian couldn't help but marvel at the brightness of the forest around him. Everywhere he looked, some sort of bioluminescence lit up the darkness in cacophonies of soft, beautiful colors. He'd never seen it before because the light from his campfire always blocked it out. But now, he could see this world of Pandora in some of its truest beauty. He and the Na'vi were even part of this biological light display, with patterns of luminescent spots ascending and descending his body.

When they did finally hit the sack, Sateyah led Davian to a higher tree branch with a number of things that looked like large leaves hanging from it, but were actually hammocks made from plant fibers. Sateyah jumped from the branch and slid gracefully down into one of these hammocks. Rather than jumping, Davian more fell into his own hammock, sliding in quite ungracefully by contrast. Sateyah showed him how to close the hammock, touching the edge to be rewarded with a brief glow and the fibers closing around him. Davian laid back and thought about all that had happened today. It was an anthropologist's dream come true. He'd been accepted into the clan and they were teaching him how to become one of them. His teacher clearly didn't like him much, but she was competent, and that's what mattered. He felt rather tired from the events of the day, in particular Sateyah's training runs, and so he relaxed and quickly fell asleep.

Davian's eyes popped open inside the link pod. He looked around the interior to remind himself where he was. It'd all been so real. It _was_ real, accept for a different body. The pod opened and he looked up to find all of the other team members, including Dr. Simon, gathered around.

Jim, the team link technician, nodded to him, "About time you came out of there, man. You were in there forever."

Will, the other team anthropologist, piped up, "Here we were thinking you gave up your human body for Lent and liked it."

"That's enough." Dr. Simon opened the network cage over Davian's chest and leaned on the edge of the pod, "I don't mean to be a nag, Davian, but what took you so long?"

Davian sat up and ran his hands over his face and back through his hair before answering, hardly believing it himself, "They…The clan took me in."

Anita's brow furrowed, "What?"

"The clan…the Omaticaya. They took me in. They're going to teach me! They're going to help me learn the ways of the Na'vi!"

Dr. Simon waved down his excitement, "All right, all right, settle down. So…You've made a step in the right direction, then."

Davian nodded emphatically, "A _huge_ step in the right direction! This is amazing! The woman they assigned to teach me seems to hate my guts, but she knows what she's doing."

The doctor patted him on the shoulder, "Settle down, Davian. You're going to blow a fuse. Hop out of there and get started on your vlog so you can get some sleep. The team and I will clean up your campsite in the morning."

Davian could barely contain his excitement as he logged his activities for the day. Jim told him he sounded like a squirrel on a caffeine rush as he chattered on and on in the video log. He toned down when the adrenaline finally wore off and his body remembered how tired it was at the beginning of the day. He hit the rack early, guessing that it was probably going to be an early morning for him back at Hometree. Even as he went to sleep for real, and even with how tired he was, he was still pumped about the events of the day. He'd been accepted into the clan and they were going to teach him the ways of the People. He'd been dreaming of something like this ever since first setting foot on Pandora. As Davian drifted off to sleep, he never fully grasped the reality of what had happened. He never knew that he'd been chosen. He never knew that this was just the beginning for far greater, and more dire, things to come.


	4. Coming of the Hunter

3: Coming of the Hunter

What seemed like a short amount of time that passed was actually several months as Davian slowly became more and more immersed in the Na'vi community. The entire sociology team gradually became focused around him, everything they did supporting Davian's efforts to become a clansman of the Omaticaya. Sally, the team linguist, spent a lot of time coaching Davian on his Na'vi while he wasn't in link, and Will, another anthropologist, was constantly comparing notes. Kim, the site pilot, would often spend late nights keeping an eye on Davian while he was linked. Even Dr. Simon seemed to have fallen into the support role. She'd still enforce her ironclad wake-ups and lights-outs and force a meal down Davian's throat every now and then, but for the most part she would stay out of the way and let him do his thing. Everyone was involved someway, and they all knew their own efforts would be stonewalled if it weren't for Davian. He'd even gotten permission for the rest of the team to come to Hometree as long as they weren't armed and were escorted everywhere they went. Davian had made the spearhead, now the entire team was dedicating itself to forwarding his efforts.

A very obvious change during the months was Davian himself. Before being accepted into the clan, getting up everyday and linking to his avatar was a drudgery of convenience more than anything, something to save him from having to slap on an exopack and venture into the wilds of the planet himself. Ever since the Omaticaya took him in, though, he couldn't wait to start his day. There were times Dr. Simon would come to wake Davian up only to find his bunk empty and Davian already in link, having already started his day in the clan. There were other times she'd find him asleep in his link pod or at his desk, and she'd gather everyone to muscle his heavy and unconscious form to his bunk for the night. He spent more and more time in link as the days progressed, spending more and more time with the clan. It was almost like his life was turning upside-down; like he was really a Na'vi and the human was his avatar instead of the other way around. Or at least that's how it sounded talking to him sometimes.

Life in the clan wasn't anywhere near as easy as it was back at the field station. Sateyah was a worse taskmaster than Dr. Simon. Toward the beginning, there were numerous mornings Davian would open his eyes to find her standing or sitting over his hammock, impatiently waiting for the Dreamwalker to wake up. That changed slowly as he adjusted and as his training progressed. Very early on, Davian earned his own name amongst the Omaticaya. The thick inflection the Na'vi spoke their English with made it difficult for them to pronounce some human syllables, meaning the name "Davian" came out like "Davyan" most of the time. It was close enough to the real thing as far as he was concerned. Sateyah taught Davian everything there was to know about life in the clan. They made frequent walks through the forest to toughen his feet and hone his balance. She taught him how to do what she called _tsahaylu_ with some of the domesticated creatures, a neural bonding using the queue that allowed the Na'vi to communicate directly with the animal they rode. Sateyah taught him how to shoot the longbow as they did. She taught him how to speak Na'vi. And through it all, Sateyah accepted nothing less than perfection. Many were the times she would tell Davian to do something, and then summarily slap him on the back of the head for not doing it right. She called Davian "_eltu hì'i_", literally translating to "small brain" as an obvious reference to how little Davian knew of the Na'vi. Behaviors like that lessened over time as Davian's aptitude slowly increased and he became more and more adept at the skills she taught.

Over the course of time, there was another of Sateyah's behaviors that changed, as well. At first, she was very stiff and professional, treating Davian's training like a burden she had to endure. Her behavior made it quite clear that she wasn't doing this because she wanted to. But as they spent more and more time together and got to know each other more, the stiffness and name-calling began to fade away. She began to show a certain comfort and familiarity around Davian as she trained him, more and more seeming to soften and open up to him. The more he learned, the more comfortable she seemed around him. Some would say that she even seemed attracted to him. This growing familiarity between them was also a contributing factor to Davian's ever increasing time spent in link, and it had Dr. Simon wondering if her xeno-anthropologist wasn't going native on her.

It all came to a head four months almost to the day Davian had been taken into the Omaticaya. Sateyah told Davian that he was ready to become _taronyu_. He'd completed his first hunt by himself, striking quietly and swiftly and making a clean and merciful kill, releasing the animal's spirit to back Eywa in its death. It was the very next morning that she told him he was ready, and she led him up to some of the lower branches in the upper canopy of Hometree. The tree's trunk was over three hundred meters tall, meaning the lowest branches in the canopy were _very_ high up. As they came out into open air, Davian looked over the edge of the branch they walked on and his eyes widened. The last time he'd been this high in the air was his parachute-jump training in the marines. He carefully stepped back away from the edge.

Sateyah looked back at him and snickered, "Are you afraid of falling, Davyan?"

Davian shook his head, "No, falling doesn't bother me. That sudden stop at the bottom makes me a little nervous, though."

The huntress smiled as she turned away to approach a cluster of branches ahead of her. She stepped forward slowly, making a bird-like whooping call as she did. Davian looked around, recognizing this as one of the branches where the Omaticaya kept the banshees they ride. He started to wonder what Sateyah was doing when one of the creatures flew down from a higher branch to land in front of her. It looked at Sateyah when it landed and its eyes brightened, squawking at her as though she could understand. Mountain banshees were large creatures with leathery wings for arms that ended in slender, feather-like fingers. They had long necks and brightly colored skin, yellow-green with sage and purple highlights in this case. Sateyah smiled as the banshee approached her and she stroked its long head as it nuzzled her. She stepped forward and tightened several straps on the harness it wore around its chest.

Sateyah turned to face Davian, petting the banshee's neck as she spoke, "This is Tawway. She is my _ikran_, and we have ridden the winds together many times." She took her queue and bonded it with the _ikran_ as she spoke, "Once _tsahaylu_ is first made, only the one hunter may bond with the _ikran_. No other will be accepted."

Davian nodded as he listened, "So…an _ikran_ is exclusive to the first one who bonds with it?"

Sateyah nodded, "Yes. Only the one." She stroked the banshee's head affectionately, "The bond that is shared is a special one; different, unique. The hunter must choose his _ikran_, and the _ikran_ must choose him. The hunter trusts the _ikran_ with their life, just as the _ikran_ trusts the hunter. It is very special." She looked at Davian, "Now that you are ready to become _taronyu_, Davyan, you will soon go into the mountains for _iknimaya_, to choose your own _ikran_."

Davian's eyes widened, "I'm going to need to tame my own _ikran_ to become one of the clan?"

"You will." Sateyah nodded as she stepped toward the edge of the branch, "And when you do, you will have finally seen one of the great joys of life." With that, Sateyah leapt in a graceful swan-dive right off the edge, Tawway swiftly diving down after her. Davian moved as close to the edge as he dared to, but he lost sight of Sateyah as she plummeted to the ground below. He shook his head, thinking she was absolutely crazy. Then, a whooping cheer heralded Sateyah rising back up through the air, riding the back of her _ikran_. They ascended through the air again before looping around and swooping over the branch, causing Davian to duck to avoid being clipped. He looked after Sateyah as she flew away, shaking his head again. Now he _knew_ she was crazy, although she did seem to enjoy it a lot. And soon enough, he'd find out just how much of a "Sky People" he really was.

The day Sateyah spoke of came soon, only two days after in fact. Txur'Tul brought Davian and three other young hunters on a long journey north on direhorses toward the mountains. Sateyah accompanied them with Tawway on account that she might need to coach Davian through the test. As they approached the mountains, Davian looked ahead and could've sworn that the large rock in the distance was floating. He shook his head as if he were hallucinating, something in the mountain air, but this was no mirage. The mountains in the distance were actually floating. These must've been the famed Hallelujah Mountains he'd read about, mountains of rock that were kept aloft by the unknown force know only as the Flux Vortex. That very same force played havoc on aircraft instruments and made guidance systems all but useless, one of the advantages the Na'vi made use of in the Great Battle seven years ago. The banshee flocks lived up in these mountains, making them the best place to find mounts for the up-and-coming warriors. They took the direhorses as far as the terrain would allow before dismounting and climbing the rest of the way on foot. More than a few harrowing experiences later, they finally came to a cave that came in from behind a waterfall, the entrance to the place the locals called the Banshee Rookery. Davian knelt down to rest. The trek up here had winded him fairly well, and he needed a moment to catch his breath. He didn't know how far up they were exactly; just that they were _very_ high in the mountains. At these altitudes, one false move and you get a very long time to think about where you went wrong in life.

Just then, a pair of _ikran_ burst through the waterfall and landed on the edge of the cave. Jake and Neytiri dismounted their banshees and approached Txur'Tul, who nodded respectfully to both of them.

Sateyah tapped Davian's arm to get his attention, "It is not often Jakesully attends the tests, Davyan. He must be here to watch you."

"Great." Davian chuckled to himself, "As if having the teacher looking on wasn't bad enough. Now the principal is here, too."

Jake and Txur'Tul made a brief exchange in Na'vi before Jake pointed to one of the young hunters, motioning him forward to be first in the test. The hunter set his bow down and unraveled his banshee catcher as he inched his way out from behind the waterfall and out onto the cliffs. Davian could barely believe it when he saw it. The Rookery was absolutely teeming with banshees. They were everywhere, no shortage of mounts for the wannabe flyers to find and tame. The young hunter slowly stepped forward, exciting the _ikran_ as he advanced. Most of them snarled at him briefly before jumping off the edge and taking to the air. It looked like most of the banshees were too skittish to face him.

Davian leaned back to Sateyah, "How does he know when one's chosen him?" She simply gestured for him to watch as one _ikran_ started acting particularly aggressive. The hunter started twirling his catcher and circling the animal slowly. It wasn't until the banshee attacked that he made his move, deftly evading the _ikran's_ bite and wrapping the catcher around its snout at the same time. From there, he tackled the animal and a grapple ensued as the hunter endeavored to make _tsahaylu_ with the creature.

Davian looked back at Sateyah, "So the one that chooses you is the one that tries to kill you?" She nodded silently. Davian looked back at the fight and chuckled nervously, "Oorah." The psychology behind the test was based on the fact that banshees are rubbish fighters on the ground, always taking to the air where they were stronger. If a banshee thought you were worth risking a fight on the ground, it meant that banshee thought you were special in some way, hence being "chosen".

The tussle ended with the hunter subduing the _ikran_ and successfully bonding with it. Once that was done, both he and the creature took off on their first flight to seal the bond. Then it was Davian's turn.

Jake pointed at Davian and nodded, "You've seen how it's done. Now you do it yourself. And that's more of a chance than I got in your shoes." Davian swallowed the lump in his throat as he handed his bow to Txur'Tul and unraveled his own banshee catcher. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and looked back to see Sateyah with a reassuring smile on her face, which did help to bolster his confidence a little. Not only was this one of the tests of manhood amongst the Omaticaya, but it was also a fight for survival. Davian guessed that some of the less fortunate hopefuls who failed the test went home in the Na'vi equivalent of a body bag. He slowly inched around to the cliff, where most of the banshees who had taken off earlier had returned. He started slowly twirling his catcher to make sure he had some momentum for when he needed it as he carefully advanced on the _ikran_. As he approached, the banshees started to notice him, and most squawked or snarled at him before turning and diving off the cliff. Davian kept advancing slowly, looking for the hostility that meant one had chosen him.

He found what he was looking for when a larger _ikran_, bright blue with black and red patterns on the back and wings, started snarling at him more than the others. Rather than diving for the cliff, it started circling him and growling. It lunged forward once, snapping violently as it did to try to intimidate him. Davian started twirling his banshee catcher faster as he began circling. It seemed he had been chosen. That was the easy part. Now came the second step. The _ikran_ snapped at him threateningly several times before it lunged forward. Davian darted aside from the attack and swung his catcher high and down, wrapping it around the animal's snout just like Sateyah had taught him to. With the jaws secure, Davian jumped on the banshee's back, causing it to start bucking and thrashing violently to get him off. He wrapped his arms around its neck, but didn't stay there long before being thrown off to the stone below. Davian rolled onto his back in time to see the banshee try to claw at him. He rolled to his left as its claw scraped a white line on the stone beneath him, then back to his right as it clawed at him with the other talon. Davian rolled back and forth twice to avoid being shredded before curling back on his shoulders and hopping to his feet. He jumped onto the _ikran's_ back again, starting the thrashing anew. This time, he worked his way further up its neck so he could wrap his legs around, freeing up one of his arms so he could grab his queue. He worked his other arm around under the banshee's jaw and grabbed its antenna, quickly making _tsahaylu_ before it could throw him off again.

Once the bond was made, Davian gave a command to stop fighting and the _ikran_ immediately settled down. He reached over its head to undo the catcher from its snout and the animal clambered toward the edge of the cliff. Sateyah had told him before that the first flight seals the bond, and in Davian's mind, being chosen and subduing the _ikran_ were the easy parts of this test. Now came the hard part. He hadn't scored very well in his marine parachute-jumps, meaning he was _not_ looking forward to this. In spite of himself, he hollered out a command for the banshee to fly, and it spread its wings as it leapt from the cliff edge. Davian grabbed on to the _ikran_'s antennae as it folded its wings and dove straight down along the side of the cliff. With no harness to stand on, Davian was forced to brace his heels on the animal's breathing spiracles; not exactly easy when plummeting toward the ground at excessive speeds. He landed on the banshee's back hard as it leveled out suddenly, spreading its wings and catching air with an upward thrust. The banshee rolled sharply with the shift in weight, squawking loudly and flapping its wings harder to regain its balance, and almost throwing Davian off before he could regain his footing. It was a learning experience for both mount and rider. Davian had to learn how to move with the _ikran_ as it flew, and the banshee had to learn how to fly with Davian's added weight on its back.

As the unlikely pair circled a large floating rock, Davian started to really get a sense of _tsahaylu_ for the first time. It was relatively simple with the _pa'li_, where one simply had to learn how to command them and how to stay on their back at the same time. With the _ikran_, it was very different. The bond was far more intense, more sensitive than other animals. With _tsahaylu_, the _ikran_ became an extension of himself. Davian would lean left, and the _ikran_ would bank left. He would lean right, and it would bank right. He could feel the air flowing over the animal's wings as if they were his own. He even learned that his _ikran_ was a male through the bond. It was likely this sensitivity that made _tsahaylu_ with a banshee exclusive to only the one hunter. The bond between creature and rider, as well as the thrill of the sky, made for a truly exhilarating moment. Davian could now see why Sateyah enjoyed it so much.

Davian landed his _ikran_ on a cliff high up in the Rookery and stepped off his mount, stroking his snout as he did. He stepped forward and looked down the edge of the cliff. Sateyah said that the hunter trusts the _ikran_ with their life, just as the _ikran_ trusts the hunter. Davian decided to test that trust for himself. He told his banshee what he was doing before he detached the bond and turned to face the cliff. He swallowed the next lump in his throat as he straightened up. If there was a way to defeat your fears, this was it. He delayed no longer as he leapt into a swan-dive off the cliff. He held his arms to his sides to streamline himself as he plummeted face-first toward the ground _very_ far below. It reminded him of his parachute training, except _without_ the parachute. If this went wrong, he'd likely be falling for the better part of ten minutes and leave a crater the size of New Jersey. But the purpose of this self-appointed exercise was to learn to trust his _ikran_, and that trust turned out to be well-placed when Davian saw the banshee swoop down below him to catch him. He flattened himself out and grabbed onto the animal, quickly bonding with him again as they pulled out of the fall. As they soared through the air, Davian couldn't help but cheer at the top of his lungs. The adrenaline was flowing now and he was pumped!

The rest of the day was spent either watching the rest of the hunters go through their test, or flying around the mountains and enjoying the view. Sateyah helped Davian mount a harness onto his _ikran_, who he named Sky Dive. He didn't know how or if the name would translate into Na'vi, but he thought it was appropriate, all things considered. He and Sateyah sat together behind the waterfall that evening apart from everyone else as they recounted the excitement of the day.

Davian shook his head, looking at the falling water in front of them, "When I saw you jump off the branch back at Hometree, I thought you were completely insane. But now, I can see why you enjoy it so much."

Sateyah smiled and giggled lightly, "It is truly thrilling." She leaned closer to him, "Now that you have done this, Davyan, all that remains in the _Uniltaron_, the Dream Hunt. Then you will be one of us; One of the People." Her ears flattened and her smile faded as she looked away to the waterfall again, "And then…then you will leave us."

Davian's smile similarly vanished with the comment, "Um…yeah…yeah, I guess I will." This was a rather stark departure from the ordinary. Thoughts of Davian leaving the clan once his study was finished had been sent to the back of the line with all the bustle of clan life. Normally, the scant few times it did come up, it seemed to be a point of relief to Sateyah. She seemed glad that Davian would go and tell others about them, if nothing else to encourage others to leave the Na'vi alone. But lately, and especially now, her attitude had changed. Every time the topic came up in conversation, her ears would drop and she would grow silent, like she didn't want to talk about it. It was almost as if she didn't want Davian to leave. For what reason, he could only guess, but she seemed increasingly saddened at the thought of him leaving the clan. Davian knew how she felt. With all that he'd been through in the last several months, all the trials he'd passed, all the tests he'd taken, the skills he'd learned, he felt like his efforts were actually amounting to something, like he was making something of himself in a way he never could've otherwise. He felt a particular bond with these people unlike any he'd ever known before, even in the marines. Here, somehow he felt…at home. He felt as if he belonged, and it was a feeling he was very reluctant to give up. But at the same time, he knew he would eventually have to give it up. He'd signed on to study the Na'vi, but the more he learned, the less he wanted to leave.

The return to Hometree the next morning was substantially faster given the ease of flying over walking. Along the way, Sateyah was in a particularly playful mood as she and Tawway flew barrel-rolls around Davian. Not being one to be shown up, especially by a girl, Davian and Sky Dive literally flew circles around Sateyah. That was the beginning of an all-out bout of aerial one-upmanship as the two flew acrobatics around each other to settle who was the better rider, much to Jake and Neytiri's irritation a number of times. Both _ikran_ and rider were all but worn out by the time they returned, but they had enjoyed themselves immensely on the way back. Davian patted Sky Dive on the snout one last time before the animal turned around to find himself a home among the branches of Hometree. He looked over at Sateyah, finding her feeding Tawway before she turned in for the night. She noticed him watching and smiled brightly as she waved to him. It was becoming clear to everyone but Davian that Sateyah was one of the more significant reasons for his not wanting to leave. Unfortunately, Davian was just as much a soldier as he was a scientist, and he knew what it was to put his duty before his desires. Through it all, he was still unaware of the greater plots at work, of the signs people had seen about him, of his being chosen for a greater purpose. But the day would soon come when all would be revealed, and even Davian could not deny what would transpire.

Davian's alarm clock sounded off and the young scientist rolled out of bed as he slapped it quiet. It wasn't an ordinary morning, but rather an evening as he cleaned himself up and got ready for linking. He had slept a good part of the day in preparation for what was likely to be the most dangerous rite he'd be undertaking yet. The _Uniltaron_, or Dream Hunt, was the final step to be taken before becoming a full man in Omaticaya culture. However, the rite was also quite hazardous. It involved the use of several natural poisons produced by local insects to induce a euphoric state in the individual, in which the prospective hunter could "see the world through the Eye of Eywa". In Na'vi psychology, any ritual or rite that referenced "the Eye of Eywa" was a reference to something potentially lethal. If he survived, the ceremony of the Second Birth would immediately follow. With Davian's success in the test of _iknimaya_,this was the final step, and he's spent all day resting and preparing for it.

Dr. Simon and the others followed him into the link room as he prepared.

"You do know that this is dangerous, right?" Anita folded her arms as she leaned against the wall behind her, "I've heard some juicy little horror stories of warriors dying during this ritual."

"That's not the half of it." Jim ran his hand through his hair as he paced at the other end of the prefab, "You're chances are even slimmer because you're not a Na'vi. An avatar brain is more than half human, and we don't know how those toxins react to human neural tissue. Then there's your psyche to consider. That stuff will be mucking around with your subconscious while it's not even attached to your real brain. Do you have any idea what that could do to you?"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Davian shrugged as he climbed into the pod, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough, won't we."

Dr. Simon leaned over and touched his arm, "This isn't a game, Davian. This is your life on the line."

He shook his head in response, "It's our lives on the line every time we step outside, doc. There are flowers out there that are carnivorous. Even the air is poisonous, for crying out loud. What's adding one more risk to the list?"

Will scoffed quietly, "Yeah, but those are risks we can avoid. This is a risk you're willingly taking on yourself."

"And those are the risks that always pay off the most." Davian made eye contact with everyone present, "I wasn't a marine long, guys, but I was one long enough to learn not to let fear determine who I am. I understand the risks, and I also think that they're worth taking. Best-case scenario is I survive and become a member of the clan."

Jim chimed in again, "And worst-case scenario is we have to bury a big, blue, five billion dollar corpse next to yours."

Davian huffed in response, "Than you'd better start digging the graves, Jim, just in case." He pulled his legs up into the pod as he laid back, "I've made up my mind on this and you can't talk me out of it." With that said, the link chamber closed around him as it launched the link.

Will pointed to the pod, "Is he for real? You can't tell me that he's not doing this just to impress that girl he's been seeing at Hometree."

"And if you said that to his face, I bet you'd have a black eye for it." Dr. Simon stared vacantly at the now-active link chamber, "It concerns me how attached to the Na'vi he's become recently, particularly to Sateyah, but there's not much we can really do about it. He has a mind of his own, and we obviously can't persuade him from something he's made it up to do." She looked at the rest of the team, "We'll take two-hour shifts watching his pod. I'll take first watch; Sal's on second. The rest of you get some sleep."

Davian blinked his eyes open at Hometree and sat up in his hammock, tapping the cover open as he did. The cover withdrew to reveal Jake, Neytiri, and Sateyah all waiting for him. Sateyah and Neytiri took him aside from everyone else to prepare. Neytiri recited a series of ancient chants while Sateyah marked Davian's chest, arms, and face with white markings symbolic of what he was about to do. As the sun fell, Davian, Jake, Neytiri, Mo'at, and the clan elders went to the chamber below the spiral roots to commence the Dream Hunt.

The hours of the night passed by very slowly. It was clear that Dr. Simon couldn't help herself anymore when her avatar woke up not far away on one of the cots they brought. She walked around where the people were gathered, circled around the spiral roots in the center of the Tree. There was a low hum of voices in the air as quiet prayers were muttered by everyone around.

Anita looked around curiously, "What're they doing?"

"They pray to the Great Mother that she will give Davyan a vision." Sateyah's voice came from behind her, causing Anita to turn. She had been forbidden from witnessing the ritual firsthand, leaving her waiting with everyone else.

"He will pass near the Eye of Eywa tonight. Then we will see if he has the Great Mother's blessing on him." She came to where Dr. Simon stood, "You are one of Davyan's companions, yes? I am called Sateyah. I am…_was_ his teacher of the ways of the hunter."

The scientist nodded in return, "Anita Simon. I'm…the leader of Davian's group. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sateyah began walking with Dr. Simon as they slowly circled Hometree's roots, "I've heard a lot about you. Davian's always talking about what you've taught him recently."

Sateyah nodded distractedly, "He learns quickly. He learned to speak as we do very well. He will no longer need my lessons after this." She looked toward the lower chamber, "If Eywa chooses to spare him." Dr. Simon looked at Sateyah, seeing her concern for Davian on her face. She recognized the look from her own face many years ago.

She touched Sateyah's arm, "Davian's a strong guy, Sateyah."

The huntress nodded slowly, "I know he is strong, both in body and in spirit. But sometimes the strong fall to the Hunt. I can only hope he will be spared."

Anita put her hand on Sateyah's shoulder, "I'm sure he'll be fine. He'll make it; don't worry." The two kept walking together through the night as Anita swallowed the taste of her own lie. She was one of the voices of reason trying to keep Davian from going through with this in the first place, dead-set convinced the rite would kill him, and now she was reassuring Sateyah that he was going to be fine. Dr. Simon silently prayed in her own heart, hoping that Davian would prove her wrong and put some truth to her words.

As the sun began to peer over the horizon, people began stirring from where they sat throughout the night. The ritual would be complete any minute now, and then they would see what had happened. Everyone held their breath as the clan elders filed out of the lower chamber one at a time, followed by Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at. Dr. Simon's heart stopped when she didn't see Davian following them up. Had it been too much? Had that stubborn marine finally met his match?

The whole clan let out a celebratory cheer or whoop as Davian ascended the roots from the lower chamber, the sun gleaming brightly over him. He was breathing heavily and looked a little out of it, but he seemed none the worse for wear. Dr. Simon breathed a relieved sigh before looking at Sateyah. The young huntress smiled brightly for a moment, but her smile slowly disappeared as her ears turned back and she turned to walk away. Dr. Simon furrowed her brow at Sateyah's response. What could be eating at her?

Davian stood before Jake in the presence of all the people of the clan to receive the _olo'eyktan_'s blessing.

Jake chuckled lightly, "I guess that's more proof of how strong us Dreamwalkers really are, isn't it." He stepped forward with a proud smile and set his hands on Davian's shoulders, "{You are now a son of the Omaticaya. Now…you are One of the People.}" Neytiri and Mo'at stood on either side of him while Txur'Tul stood behind him, and all reached forward to put their hands on his shoulders. All around him, the people of the clan gathered, those closest to him touching him while those further away touched them. The entire clan joined in, forming one enormous symbol of their unity as a community and a family. As the clan gathered around, Davian looked around and furrowed his brow. He couldn't help but notice that Sateyah was nowhere to be found. What followed was an evening of celebration, spiritual songs and dance commemorating the newcomer's accomplishments as the clan rejoiced at Davian's becoming one of their own. As everyone celebrated, Davian took the time to look around for Sateyah. He looked for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. As the celebrations began to dwindle, Davian slipped away to look for her. He had a good idea of where she might be. He cleaned himself off before ascending the inner levels of Hometree to the place where he suspected Sateyah had retreated to.

After several minutes of climbing, Davian finally emerged into the open air on a smaller branch just below the canopy, though "small" was a relative term in this case considering the branch could easily accommodate a dozen people. Davian moved a cluster of leaves out of his way to step out onto the branch, where he found the object of his search. Sateyah sat on the far end of the branch, her knees tucked up under her chin, looking out over the darkly lit jungle far below as her tail slowly slithered across her back. Davian shook his head. He'd only seen her isolate herself like this when something was bothering her.

Sateyah glanced back at Davian briefly as he approached, "{I See you, Davyan.}"

"{I See you, Sateyah.}" He squatted down next to her, "I noticed you left before the party."

She nodded quickly, still looking out at the forest, "Yes…yes, I did."

Davian pushed his feet out from beneath himself to sit down, "What's wrong?"

The huntress rested her chin on her arms folded across her knees, "Nothing that you can make better."

He shrugged, "That doesn't mean I can't try to help."

Sateyah breathed a deep sigh before speaking, "You are one of us now, Davyan; One of the People. You have the Great Mother's blessing. You may choose a woman…make your bow from the wood of Hometree. You have completed what you set out to do so long ago." She finally looked at him, "There is now nothing to keep you from leaving us."

Davian shrugged, trying to be casual, "Didn't you say once before that that would be a good thing?"

"Davyan…" Sateyah shook her head with what Davian thought was a tear in her eye, "…I do not want you to leave."

Davian nodded subtly as he breathed a sigh through his nose. He'd had a sinking feeling that this was what was on her mind. He had been getting the impression that she'd been growing fond of him over the recent months, and it would taste a lie to say he didn't feel the same way. But he also knew that what he _wanted_ to do was drastically different from what he _had_ to do.

He leaned forward and rested an arm on his knee, "Truthfully, Sateyah, I don't want to leave anymore than you want me to. But I still have a duty to my people. I have to return to them to tell them all that I've learned about the Na'vi so we can better understand you."

Sateyah looked out at the forest again, resting her chin on her arms, "I had hoped that…that perhaps…perhaps _we_ would become your people; that you would stay with us…in the clan."

The scientist avatar shrugged, "As much as I'd love to, I don't think that would be possible, Sateyah. It's…complicated."

She nodded slowly as the smallest of tears slid down her cheek, "I understand."

Davian leaned closer and touched her shoulder, "Look. I'm not leaving for another week, and I intend to make the most of the time I have left here. I'm not leaving without a few memories to take with me."

"Then, if you would like, Davyan," Sateyah looked at him again, "Tomorrow, I would like to take you to a place not far from here; a place that has always been special to me."

Davian nodded quickly, "Of course. I'd love to."

He finally coaxed a smile out of her with his response, "Thank you. That would please me much." She looked back out over the starlit jungle one last time as a _nantang_ howled in the distance before standing up, "I should go and rest. There is much to do tomorrow." She dragged her fingertips across Davian's shoulders as she walked by him to descend the branch, sending a shiver up and down his spine. Davian stayed sitting on the branch for a while longer. He knew how she felt. He didn't want to leave any more than she wanted him to leave. Among the Na'vi, Davian felt that he somehow belonged. It was like a hole in his life had been filled, and leaving would only empty that hole again, leaving him with only the hollowness that had been there before. Also, he couldn't say truthfully that Sateyah was not a major factor for his reluctance to go. Davian wished for all the world that he could stay, that he could have the life that Jake had found where he was loved and appreciated, part of something worth fighting for. But happy endings were only for fairytales. Reality was a whole lot more bleak than most cared to admit. And this? This was just another bleak reality that Davian was forced to admit. He took one last look at the jungle below before standing and going back into the tree for the night.

Davian's eyes opened slowly and he looked around the green-lit interior of the link pod. He had begun to hate seeing the inside of this thing. It was yet another reminder that this whole adventure with the avatar was not his real life; that he was really human and had to face human responsibilities. He didn't need anything else to remind him of what he didn't want to do. The pod opened and Davian sat up to find Dr. Simon standing over him.

She leaned on the bulkhead behind her, "Congratulations."

Davian rubbed his eyes and looked at her, "For what?"

"First of all, for proving everyone wrong and living through that rite. And second, for becoming a member of the clan. This makes yours the second avatar that the Na'vi have accepted as a clansman, and the first human they've trusted in over seven years." Anita turned to go back to her desk as Davian climbed out of his pod, "I have to admit I'm rather jealous of you. You're going to ship out of here in a week and be the first person to publish an exposition on Na'vi clan life from an insider's perspective. Not even Dr. Augustine was able to do that, God rest her soul. You have no idea how famous you're going to be in the scientific community."

Davian rubbed the back of his neck as he listened, pretending to be interested and excited about it all. Truth be told, he really didn't care. It didn't matter to him if he was going to remain an undiscovered anthropologist until the day he died or if people would be beating down his door just to get an autograph. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to stay here, with the Na'vi, with Sateyah, but what he wanted was exactly what he couldn't have. Davian bunked down that night with that hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling like he was giving up on the only thing that ever really meant anything to him. As he fell into a restless sleep that night, he never would have guessed that the thing he wanted would soon, very soon, become the thing he would need to survive.


	5. The Hunter and the Hunted

4: The Hunter and the Hunted

The next morning, Davian's avatar roused from his hammock at the usual time, around sunup, and descended the tree to find Sateyah already packed for their little trip. She'd gathered some food for the day as well as their weapons. They wouldn't be going far, hardly even an hour's distance, but Davian didn't mind the idea of a little day picnic with Sateyah. They set out in a southwesterly direction, moving through the unbeaten paths of the forest. The casual pace they took had them traveling for little more than an hour before finally coming to their destination. Sateyah pushed aside a curtain of foliage and they both stepped into a small grove, a little clearing with a single tree standing in the center. The tree wasn't very tall, only about eight or nine meters, and its canopy drooped lowly to the ground with long and slender tendrils hanging down, much like a weeping willow. It was the kind of tree that the Na'vi called _Utraya Mokri_, "Tree of Voices". Normally they grew in groves with others of their kind, but this one was isolated for some reason.

Sateyah made her way through the drooping canopy to the base of the tree, where she set her bow down and knelt, "This is a place that is very special to me. It is where my father was buried. He fell fighting beside Tsu'Tey in the Great Battle seven years ago. I was old enough to fight then, but he did not allow me a place in the battle." She took her queue and bonded with one of the translucent white tendrils, "This is a place where I not only feel Eywa so closely, but where I sometimes feel my father's spirit. I feel his strong hand just as I did when I was a child. I hear his voice, and the voices of the ancestors." She looked at Davian, "Can you hear them, Davyan?"

Davian set his gear down and did as Sateyah did, using his queue to make _tsahaylu_ with one of the spindly leaves hanging from the tree. As soon as he did, the strangest feeling that he couldn't describe even if he wanted to filled his mind. He heard things, voices, in the distance. He could see the memories of those who'd gone on before. The powerful genetic memory of the Na'vi preserved in the trees, their ancestors, became a thing of reality to him. This phenomenon, this miracle…this was Eywa. It was nothing short of amazing.

He chuckled lightly as he looked at Sateyah, "I…I can hear them."

Sateyah looked around at the small grove, "I come here when troubles burden me. I find peace here, a peace I only knew when my father still lived." This also shed light on her hostile behavior toward Davian four months ago when he was first starting his training. The Sky People killed her father, meaning she likely held a grudge against them for all this time.

Davian knelt down near Sateyah, "You were close to your father, weren't you."

She nodded slowly, gently caressing some of the tree's long leaves, "He taught me the ways of _taronyu_. All I know of Eywa and of the forest is his knowledge. His death still saddens me to think of it." Sateyah's gaze fell, "Sometimes, I wonder if…if father might not have fallen if I had been there. Perhaps he might still live if he had allowed me to fight by his side."

Davian shook his head, "Or you'd be under the next tree over."

The comment brought Sateyah's head up to look at him, "What?"

"Your father didn't allow you to fight because he wanted to protect you. He knew he wasn't going to make it through the battle. My people call it a warrior's sense, the feeling a soldier gets that tells him his next battle is going to be his last. I'd dare say that's why your father didn't allow you to fight."

Sateyah's ears perked up as her eyes strayed to the tree, "I never thought of it that way before. Father was…protecting me." The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile as she looked at Davian again, "_Irayo_, Davyan. Somehow…this knowledge brings greater comfort to this place for me." She paused to take a brief breath, "I wanted you to know the comfort of this place before you left us. Perhaps…perhaps it would give you reason to return to us one day."

Davian could see why she was doing this. Sateyah wanted him to stay, and she wanted to give him as many reasons as she could to stay. What she didn't know was that he already had plenty of reasons, but the necessity of his duty as a scientist continued to muddy the waters and remind him of what he had to do.

The scientist's attention was torn from the matter at hand when he heard some commotion overhead. He looked up to see a clutch of stingbats flying over, crying loudly as if they'd been spooked. He furrowed his brow and his ears flattened back. That didn't bode well. Something had scared those animals, and from the ruckus they were making, it was big.

Sateyah noticed Davian's distraction as she broke her bond with the tree, "Davyan? What is it?"

He pointed up as he detached his own queue from the leaf, "Up there. Something spooked those _riti_." He looked around and listened to the forest. It was quiet; unnervingly quiet. In the distance, Davian could hear the shrieks and cries of various forest animals, more so than normal jungle bustle. His sense of the forest he'd developed during his hunter training over the last several months started to raise red flags. Something was wrong; very wrong.

Sateyah looked around, "Something is not right. The animals; they are frightened. But of what?"

"I don't know." Davian shook his head as he stood, "Stay here. I'm going to go find out." He left his bow with Sateyah as he took off into the forest, heading in the opposite direction the stingbats were flying. Whatever had spooked them, they would be running _from_ it, so that was the best place to find the source. He ran and maneuvered through the brush for several long moments before coming to a clearing. Davian paused and looked around when he came through the brush. He could see easily that this area was a clear-cut, not clear naturally. Numerous trees were turned up on their side as though pushed over by a tremendous force, and anyone could easily recognize the massive marks of bulldozer treads. What was worse, it was all recent, within the last several days. Davian pushed aside some bushes that were in his way, but froze when he heard a familiar sound from above. It was the rapid mechanical thumping of tilt-rotor engines, which meant a transport. Davian furrowed his brow. No one in the Foundation, even his team, knew he was out here and he wasn't wearing anything he could be tracked with. He crouched low in the brush and waited as the sound came closer. After a long moment, Davian arched a curious eyebrow as an SA-2 Samson gunship descended into the clearing. Before he could question if it was a Foundation transport, he quickly noticed that the chopper was armed, quite well in fact. An MBS-9M Hydra chain-gun was positioned at each door and a pair of rocket pods hung under the winglets. There was also an unfamiliar emblem on the door, and Davian narrowed his eyes to read it from this distance. Marigold Mineral Conglomerate? Who were these guys? Nobody but the Foundation had been brazen enough to set foot on Pandora in years. Who where these guys, and what did they want?

The gunship dropped into the clearing and about a squad's worth of human soldiers carrying military-grade weaponry piled out, the leader barking orders to his men as they moved. Davian frowned. Mercs. What did they want here? They spread out and started looking around as the gunship took off again, leaving them where they were. Davian crouched lower to look at them from underneath the bush in front of him, better concealing his position. Who were these cats?

One of the men turned to look at the leader, "Looks clear, sir. No sign of Blues in the area." Their voices came filtered and mechanical-sounding through the masked helmets they wore.

"Roger that." The leader nodded and put a hand to the side of his helmet, "Bring in the 'dozer." He turned to look behind him at the line of trees in the distance. Davian's eyes widened and his ears fell back in horror as a section of the tree line suddenly collapsed all at once as a massive bulldozer forced its way through. It slowly pushed forward, smashing and mauling anything in its path. What was worse, if it kept on this heading, it would be heading straight for Hometree and Sateyah's grove.

"Hey." One of the mercs raised his rifle and pointed in Davian's direction, "I thought I saw movement over there. Could be a local."

The leader nodded, "We'll check it out in a minute. Just stay put."

Davian held his breath as he slowly backed away from his hiding spot. Once he'd put enough foliage between him and them to cover his movements, he turned and ran full tilt back to the grove as fast as his slender legs could carry him. He burst through the brush into the grove in a hurry, where he found Sateyah still sitting next to the tree.

He grabbed his bow and hurriedly secured it on his back, "Sateyah, we have to get out of here. Now."

She stood with wide eyes, "Why? What is it?"

"More Sky People have come, but…" He halted over his words, hoping she would understand, "…they're not scholars this time. They're warriors."

Sateyah's ears flattened back and her eyes widened further, "Warriors? Here? But why? Why would they come here?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a pretty good idea." He took her hand to start running, "I'll explain on the way, but we have to go. Now." From the grove, the pair made a hurried return to Hometree. On the way, Davian made good on his promise, explaining to Sateyah that he believed the humans were here for the same reason they were seven years ago. They were miners that were looking to get the unobtanium the planet was rich with. With the Incident seven years ago, the market price for the elusive metal had likely gone through the roof, making now an opportune time to get as much of it in hand and on sale as possible. Unfortunately, that meant removing the indigenous and destroying the ecology to get at it.

Davian and Sateyah arrived back at Hometree to find the place all astir. Everyone was gathering at the center of the tree as if something had happened. Davian wondered if word of the miners' arrival had spread faster than he thought.

He looked around at everyone gathered about, "What's going on? Why's everyone here?"

Sateyah tapped another clansman on the shoulder, "{Why is the clan gathered? Has something happened?}"

The clansman's eyes widened as his ears fell back, "{Haven't you heard? Txur'Tul and his hunting party were attacked. Txur'Tul and several others were killed.}"

"What?" Davian's mouth dropped open when he heard, "When did that happen?" Just then, Jake burst through the crowd of people with a determined pace toward Davian.

"Jake, what's going –" Before the scientist could question him, Jake hauled back and punched him across the face, knocking Davian to the ground.

Davian worked his jaw a moment before looking up at Jake, "What was that for?"

"Shut up!" Jake cut his hand through the air to silence Davian, "I should've known when you first came. Win our trust so you can screw us over all the better. Is that it?"

Davian shook his head as he cautiously stood up, "What are you talking about? I don't even know what's going on."

Jake folded his arms, "Txur'Tul and his hunting party were ambushed by human soldiers this morning. Txur'Tul was killed. The two who made it back barely made it out alive. And now, I've received word from a scouting party that a bulldozer is on its way here right now." He stepped closer and pointed accusingly at Davian, "The only way they could have known where our Hometree is and that Txur'Tul was my second is if someone informed them."

Davian's face opened with curiosity, "You think I ratted you out? I don't even know who these guys are."

"Save the pitch. Words are just words, Davian. And now, yours are worthless." The chieftain gestured to several warriors around him, "{Bind him!}" Three of them darted forward and grabbed Davian's arms.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" The scientist struggled and pulled to no avail.

Jake took a step closer, the volume of his voice slowly rising with his temper, "We took you into our clan. We treated you as family. I recognized you as one of us! And _this_ is how you thank us for it? By selling us out? We'd have been better off without you!"

Davian pulled against his captors, "I didn't do it!"

"Stop! Please!" Sateyah stepped forward with an earnest tone in her voice, "{Jakesully, Davyan has done nothing. I was with him when the Sky People came; he had nothing to do with it. Can't you see he's telling the truth?}"

Jake looked at her harshly, "{Then what would you have me do, Sateyah? I'll not let your feelings for this Dreamwalker endanger the lives of the entire clan.}"

She stepped closer, folding her hands in a pleading manner, "{Please. He is blameless.}"

"{My Jake.}" The chieftain looked over his shoulder as Neytiri stepped up behind him, "{Can't you hear what you're saying? What if Davyan is innocent? Do not let a perceived error lead to a true one.}" She touched Jake's arm, "{Remember the signs.}"

Jake just stood there fuming for a long moment as he contemplated his mate's words. It seemed like forever before he finally made his next move.

He nodded toward Davian, "{Release him.}" The warriors let go of Davian as they were told and Jake stepped forward into his face, "I'm giving you one day to prove where your loyalties lie, and the only reason I'm doing that is because I don't want more innocent blood on my hands. But mark my words; if you've sold us out, I'll kill you myself. I'll kill this meat-puppet you're walking around in, then hunt down the real you. Got it?" He turned and stormed away without waiting for a response, Neytiri closely following him. The cluster of clansmen who gathered around began to disperse once they saw that action had been taken.

Davian stood there in shock. He didn't know what to think now. First, a bunch of greedy corporate types show up out of nowhere to start raping the planet, and now his loyalties were under suspicion simply on account that he was human. Everything he'd been working for in the last several months had just been flushed down the great big cosmic commode in a moment's time. His life, everything he held dear, had suddenly fallen apart. He didn't know whether to cry or scream.

Sateyah stepped toward him, "Davyan…I'm so–"

"Don't." Davian cut her off with a shake his head, "Just…don't." He turned to walk away, leaving Sateyah standing there alone. Gone. All of it gone, in just a snap of the fingers. Now, he had one day to prove his loyalty to the Omaticaya. If he didn't, it was his neck on the chopping block. Davian went to start gathering supplies. He was going to need them with what he had in mind.

Davian pulled the string taught on the head of the arrow and checked it one more time. Once he was satisfied with its strength, he tossed it into the small but growing pile of others like it on the ground next to where he sat. He looked out toward the sky as the last of the sun's rays began to fall behind the horizon, starting the first glimpses of the nightly bio-light show. His own spots had begun to glow faintly as the night descended. He'd been spending the better part of the last several hours making arrows and supplies for his "proving", which he was going to pull off later that night. Jake wanted him to prove his loyalties, and what better way to do that than a direct attack against their enemies. Except it would have to be something that even Jake couldn't deny, which meant it was going to have to be big. There weren't many metal critters around bigger than that 'dozer he'd seen earlier, and it was a threat to both Hometree and Sateyah's grove. Take it out, and even Jake will be at a loss for words. It was suicide to even consider the idea of attacking a bulldozer that likely guarded by enough soldiers to take a city block, but it was the only thing he could do.

An earlier "afternoon nap" allowed Davian to inform his team of the situation, and to get some information about who he was up against. The Marigold Mineral Conglomerate was a group of mining corporations that were among the largest suppliers of unobtanium in the galaxy, the RDA's only competition. Unfortunately, they weren't known for their environmentally friendly methods of acquiring said metal, a trait they shared with their competitors. They were known to employ mercenaries and ex-marines by the bushel to protect their investments, and they were equipped with some of the best military-grade equipment money could buy. They had already shown that they meant business here, and this was likely only the tip of the iceberg. Things were heating up fast. Davian's head came up suddenly when he heard someone approaching. It was Sateyah, holding something long and wrapped in cloth.

He looked up at her and furrowed his brow, "Sateyah? What are you doing here?"

She knelt down next to him, "I have come to help you."

Davian stifled a chuckle as he started wrapping the next arrow, "I don't think you want to be seen with a traitor to the clan."

Sateyah shook her head adamantly, jingling the beads in her hair, "You and I know that is not true, Davyan. I know where your loyalty lies. You should not be made to prove it like this."

"Well, it doesn't look like I have much choice, do I." Davian tossed the half-finished arrow on the ground in front of him and threw his hands up, "Look at this. Not even a day ago, I was an accepted member of the clan. Now I'm about to go on a suicide mission to prove my loyalties to a guy who apparently never trusted me to begin with." He huffed as he lowered his head and rubbed his forehead with one hand, "I don't know. Maybe Jake was right. You'd be better off without me."

Sateyah leaned closer and touched his arm, "Jakesully says that because he does not See you, Davyan. Not as I See you. I know you are one of us."

Davian sighed as he looked at her, "It's nice to know I have one fan out there."

"I want you to have this." Sateyah picked up the cloth-wrapped item she brought with her and placed it in Davian's lap, "I believe it will help you in your hunt." He unwrapped it to find that it was a spear, one like he'd never seen before.

"This was my father's spear, made not from the wood of the Hometree, but of a shard of the bone of the _angtsik_. Father was like you, a great hunter and a strong warrior. I believe he would have wanted to pass it on to you."

Davian looked at her and shook his head, "You don't need to give me this."

"I give it to you because I wish to." Sateyah shifted nervously before speaking again, "Davyan, my father's grove is not the only place I feel peace. I feel that same peace when I am…when I am with you." She took off the amulet she wore and fastened it around Davian's neck.

Sateyah kissed him on the cheek before looking him in the eye, "Come back to us…come back to me." With that said, she stood and turned to walk away. Davian's gaze followed her briefly before looking down at his chest and the token that rested there. He didn't know what significance it held to Sateyah, but it was a clear sign that she cared about him greatly. He also looked at the spear she'd left him with. In many cultures, to give someone a weapon was to express your concern for their safety and wellbeing, and this spear seemed well-made. It was a little over two meters long and an odd dark grey in color, with a long and smoothed point at the head. The spear's body and head were a single piece of titanothere bone, carefully and ornately crafted in great detail with patterns of leaves ascending the shaft to where they formed an image of a tree at the head. Davian picked it up to test it, finding it a little heavy, but well balanced; nothing that he couldn't get used to. Davian looked at the spear and then back to where Sateyah had departed. Even through all that had happened, the distrust and being made to prove himself, she still accepted him, still trusted him. He might even go so far as to say that she cared about him, in a way deeper than common friendship. That was enough in Davian's mind. Even if he couldn't win back Jake's trust, he still had Sateyah's, and that was reason enough to come back alive. He set his new weapon aside as he returned to his task of preparing for the hunt to come.

In the dark of the night, Davian stayed crouched low in the brush closest to the bulldozer. He was still about fifty meters away from it, but it was the best he could do. Right now, the 'dozer was at rest in the middle of the clear-cut near Sateyah's grove. A quiver full of arrows hung from his waist and his rested longbow across his back, his new molded-bone spear in his hand. Davian had marked his face in the traditional patterns of an Omaticaya warrior, but the rest of his blue body was smudged with splotches of mud and moss to act as impromptu camouflage, a combination that Davian referred to as "a mix of traditions". He looked out at the 'dozer in front of him, analyzing it with a soldier's experience. This wasn't your common industrial machine. This 'dozer seemed to have been custom-made for the hazards of Pandora. It was a far sight larger than a normal 'dozer with its own control cabin in the front, meaning it could operate independently of any home base in the area. It also sported an automated chain-gun turret at each of the four corners of the vehicle. That, in addition to probably about half a platoon's worth of mercs, meant this was not going to be easy. Right now, Davian was waiting for the right moment, a change of the guard in particular, to make his move and approach the target. It was time to put all that Sateyah had taught him to the test.

His opportunity came when he saw the soldiers on watch on top of the vehicle call it in to change shifts. As they retreated into the 'dozer, Davian made his move, dashing out from the weeds and sprinting for the base of the enormous vehicle. He was counting on the auto-turrets not being active unless for an emergency. Ammo costs money after all, and these mercs were corporate soldiers, meaning they wouldn't be spending money unless absolutely necessary. Davian ran across the expanse, keeping one hand on his quiver and leaving himself dangerously exposed for several long seconds. He made it to safety near one of the 'dozer's massive treads and started his climb up. By now, the next watch would be on duty and keeping an eye open, but he was concealed from their sight being up next to the 'dozer like this. He slowly clambered up to the top and pulled himself up, taking a moment to ready his bow and nock an arrow. He slowly stalked around from shadow to shadow, closing in on where the guards were on duty. As he approached, he listened in on their conversation, their voices sounding mechanical through their helmet speakers.

One merc looked around at the darkly lit jungle surrounding them, "Man, I hate night watch."

The other merc looked at him and shrugged, "What's to hate? It's the quietest part of the day. Pretty, too, with the light show and all."

"Pretty or not, that's why I hate it. It's too quiet for me. Anything could be out there, you know."

The other merc shook his head, "You've been listening to Reynaldo again, haven't you, Mitch."

The first guard, Mitch, shrugged, "Can't be helped when he's running through the barracks butt-naked and screaming at the top of his lungs. You know, Sam, it was night watch that made him the basket-case he is now. He saw some pretty creepy stuff, I heard."

The other merc, Sam, chuckled, "What was he ranting about this time? The man-eating plants or the giant carnivorous animals?"

"Actually, he was hollering about the locals this time. Something about warriors that can blend in with the shadows and strike undetected or something like that."

Sam shook his head, "Mitch, I'm going to tell you this once and then never again, because I hate repeating myself: the Blues are just like anything else on this rock. Fill them with enough lead, they die like any other critter. So don't listen to Reynaldo spouting about their 'invincible' warriors and all that crap. He's a head-case anyway."

Mitch shrugged, "I know. You never can be too careful, though." The two mercs went about their watch for a while longer until Mitch suddenly raised his rifle, pointing toward the other side of the 'dozer.

Sam looked at him, "What's up?"

"I saw something move over there." Mitch nodded toward where his rifle was pointed.

Sam put his rifle to his shoulder, "Okay. Go check it out. I've got your six." Mitch slowly advanced on where he saw the movement. He cautiously walked forward, training his rifle on every shadow he passed to make sure it was clear. He finally came to the edge of the 'dozer and looked down, finding nothing for his efforts.

"Anything?"

Mitch hiked his rifle up onto his shoulder as he shook his head, "No, nothing. I'm just jumping at shadows again." He turned around to return to his post. Before taking his first step, his arms suddenly flung outward as a long arrow punched through his chest from behind.

"Son of a gun!" Sam took a step back as Mitch's corpse fell to its knees and collapsed, revealing a Na'vi warrior behind him holding his bow at the ready, the string still humming from his last shot.

Davian didn't waste time in drawing another arrow, nocking it on the bowstring and letting it fly before the merc could raise his weapon. The arrow pierced through his chest and the force of the shot carried him off the side of the 'dozer. Those two were taken care of, now for the other three on the lower deck. He went to the edge of the platform and looked over, finding his three targets close to each other. Davian stepped back a pace or two before running and vaulting off the edge down toward the men below. The one in the middle looked up just in time for Davian to land on top of him, folding his body backward in a decidedly unhealthy contortion. He felt blood on his feet and knew they guy was dead. The two on either side of him he dispatched simultaneously, jamming his knife into the right one's ribs while impaling the other with his spear. He yanked his weapons out, letting the corpses fall to the metal plating beneath them. Five down, and that should be everyone for now.

He was proven wrong when a burst of gunfire from behind heralded a sharp pain shooting through his right side. Davian curled down clutching the wound and looked back to the one who'd made it. He quickly drew an arrow and let it fly, impaling the merc and pinning him to the metal bulkhead behind him. With the situation secured for now, Davian looked down at his side to assess the wound. He could feel clean entries and exits, so there were no bullets in his body, and it was just a flesh wound, so he applied pressure for a minute or two to slow the bleeding before continuing on. He looked around quickly. It was only a matter of time before someone came up to investigate the gunfire, so he had to move fast, injuries and all.

Davian looked around, searching for his target. He'd been taught enough about industrial vehicles like this in the Corps in the event that he had to destroy one, so he knew all the weak points and vital spots. The 'dozer's power plant would be buried deep inside the vehicle, but it had to have an exterior cooling apparatus. Break that, and the power plant becomes unstable, only a matter of time before it goes "boom". Davian ran toward the back of the 'dozer, where he found what he was looking for. A series of over a dozen cooling rods ran across the top of the 'dozer's back end, making them easy targets. He grabbed one and pulled as hard as he could, finding it steadfastly refusing his efforts. After nearly opening his bullet wounds again, Davian slid his spear underneath the row of rods, wedging it under and heaving upward to break the first two rods open. The titanothere bone was apparently strong enough even to break metal. With those two broken, he moved on to the next two. Davian wasted no time going down the line of fifteen cooling rods, prying them loose from their mountings one at a time.

In no less than two minutes, Davian had successfully broken all fifteen cooling rods, causing them to vent coolant gases at an alarming rate, but he wasn't done there. If the power plant overheated now, the computerized fail-safes would just shut it down and there would be no "boom". To make the "boom" happen, the fail-safes had to be removed. Davian checked his injury quickly before starting toward the front of the 'dozer. It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate through the pain, but he knew he had to keep going, or a trio of bullet holes in his side would be the least of his troubles. He ran back to the front of the 'dozer, pausing to duck under some incoming gunfire before climbing to the top of the command cabin. More troops had come to investigate his presence there, and they weren't happy about it. Davian grabbed an antenna on the top of the cabin as he jumped forward, bending the antenna and swinging down, around, and into the forward windshield. His feet hitting the glass caused it to spider-web with cracks, and it only took a solid kick to cave it in from there. The tech in the cabin went running for the door as Davian climbed in. He started at one end of the control console and started smashing screens with his spear wherever he saw them. One of them had to be the power control systems, which would be the one that contained the power fail-safe protocols. Destroy the computer, and no fail-safes plus overheating power plant equals "boom". He was most of the way around the cabin's console when a red light on the ceiling started to strobe, and a metallic sounding voice came over the speakers.

"_Warning: power core temperature exceeding critical levels; safety systems offline; explosive meltdown in two minutes; recommend immediate evacuation._"

Davian's eyes widened, "Two minutes? When I break something, I break it good." He climbed up to the shattered windshield and hopped out to the ground several meters below. He landed on his feet, but doubled over onto one knee when he hit the ground. His landing had sent a sharp pain up his side, meaning he'd likely reopened the bullet wounds. But he knew he couldn't stop now to fix himself up. He was still well within the blast radius, and it wasn't going to be pretty when the fireworks started. He stood and started running for the brush, clutching his side as he went.

A merc on top of the 'dozer pointed when he saw Davian, "There it is! Get the auto-guns on it!" No sooner had he said that did the nearest turret track on Davian and start showering his position with heavy gunfire. Small gouts of dirt lifted all around him as he ran. He knew from experience that the turret couldn't hit him right now because he was a moving target and it didn't have a chance to track on him properly, but it was only a matter of seconds before the targeting software compensated. A second turret joined in and the gunfire thickened, increasing his chances of getting hit. Those chances came true when Davian felt a round punch through his right shoulder, throwing him to the ground with the force of the shot. He painfully rolled on the wounded shoulder and came to his feet again to keep running, grasping the bloody wound as he ran. He was almost to cover. Just a few more meters and he was in the clear. Another round grazed his leg, sending a burning fire up his thigh and nearly tripping him.

Davian jumped and rolled behind a cluster of fallen logs, taking cover behind them to gain a respite from the auto-turret fire. He crouched down behind the logs as the heavy rounds knocked chunks of wood off, slowly eating away at his cover.

He glanced back at the 'dozer as more of his protection was chewed away, "This is the longest two minutes I've ever seen." He stayed hunkered down for a moment longer before a loud blast sounded through the night and the gunfire stopped. He looked up over the logs and smiled at the pillar of flame from the middle of the 'dozer lighting up the night sky it. Another column of fire erupted from the center of the massive vehicle, blasting off one of the treads and causing it to sink down on one side. A cascade of explosions that followed tore the vehicle apart as the power systems couldn't stand the heat anymore.

Davian smirked, "Booyah, you sons of guns." His smirk changed into a wince as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder again, reminding him that he had injuries to tend to. He carefully stood, clutching his bleeding side and shoulder as he glanced back one more time at his burning handiwork. If this wasn't enough to prove that he was loyal to the Na'vi, than nothing would be. Davian turned to start slowly making his way back to Hometree.

Jake gathered the clan that morning to announce to everyone his decision to go to war. The humans were back, and they still wanted what wasn't theirs. He didn't like the repercussions this involved. Not only did this herald the beginning of another costly and possibly long conflict, but it also meant that they'd have to remove _all_ humans from the planet, including the Foundation. Jake had spent the night resigning himself to another long and bloody clash to show the Sky People that they weren't welcome on Pandora. Now, Jake stood several steps up on the spiral roots in the center of Hometree to address his people.

The clan leader raised his hands to hush the crowd, "{The Sky People have returned once again. As before, they've come for our lands. They'll kill us all if they could. I say we don't give them the chance. They call us savages. I say we show them just how savage we can be. We defeated them once before, and we'll do it again. We will show them that they are not wanted here. We will show them that this is _our_ land!}" The warriors of the clan all responded with war whoops and bloodthirsty cries, openly announcing their agreement with the sentiment. Jake nodded to himself, hoping they could make good on his promise.

"{Jakesully.}" Jake frowned as Sateyah stepped forward, "{Perhaps we should wait until Davyan returns. We may need him.}"

Jake shook his head, "{Davyan is out of time. I gave him one day to prove his loyalty and he's failed to do it. From where I stand, I See Davyan as a traitor.}"

"{A traitor doesn't shed his blood for his enemies!}"

Every Na'vi present turned back toward the entrance where the voice came from, where there stood the silhouette of a battered and battle-weary warrior. Jake's jaw fell open on its own when he saw. It was Davian! He slowly stumbled in toward the gathered people, holding his shoulder. He was head-to-toe filthy and his right side was drenched in blood. Jake immediately stepped down and started making his way toward him through the people.

"Davyan!" Sateyah darted toward Davian when she saw him, elbowing her way through the crowd. She looked him over once when she reached him, "Davyan, you're hurt!"

Jake approached Davian and looked him over with a puzzled gaze, "Davian, you look like crap. What happened?"

He spoke through shallow breaths, clearly exhausted and in a lot of pain from his injuries, "You wanted me to prove where my loyalties lie. So I did. The 'dozer's not coming."

The chieftain furrowed his brow curiously, "Not coming? What do you mean?"

"I destroyed it."

Jake's eyes widened, "You took out the 'dozer by yourself?"

Davian huffed in return, "You wanted me to prove myself. Well, there it is." He winced sharply and clutched at his bleeding shoulder.

"Come, Davyan. We must see to your wounds." Sateyah helped steady him, pulling his good arm over her shoulders to support him as he limped to where he could rest and be taken care of. Jake motioned for several others to follow them and help, and then he just stared after him. This had definitely given him something to think about.

Sateyah and several others cleaned Davian up and washed his wounds so medicines could be applied. All the Na'vi had were herbal balms from the forest, but it was better than nothing. They laid him out on a cloth mat and applied balms and salves to his injuries before bandaging them.

Sateyah pulled the knot tight on his shoulder binding, "There. How does that feel?"

Davian tried to move his arm and winced in pain for his efforts, "It still hurts a lot, but it's a lot better now."

"It will take time. Let the healing balm do its work." The huntress took an uneasy breath before looking at him, "Davyan, I was so fearful for you. When you did not return at sunup, I thought…" She trailed off as she sniffled lightly.

Davian wearily raised his eyebrows, "Fear? That's a word I never thought I hear from you."

Sateyah smiled as she gently took Davian's hand in her own, "But you came back to us…to me."

The wounded soldier returned her smile, "I had good incentive." His eyes fluttered closed as his fatigue finally gained the upper hand.

Davian's link pod opened and the first thing he did was grasp at his shoulder to soothe the pain that shot through it. His real body hadn't been injured, but the sensations from the avatar's wounds translated into his nervous system. His body needed some time to figure out that he wasn't really hurt. When Dr. Simon and the others found out what Davian had done, they all agreed that he would be staying out of link for the next couple of days. He needed a lot of rest, and the avatar would enter a regenerative state when not in use, helping the injuries heal faster. They also wanted that time to reassess their plans. The Foundation had ordered a full recall of all personnel due to Marigold's activities on the planet. Dr. Simon was certain they were planning to evacuate, a plan that went over like a lead balloon with the rest of the team, especially Davian. None of them wanted to just turn tail and run away while the miners went about destroying everything in their path. By the end of the day, all six people had come to a unanimous decision. They were staying. The Na'vi were going to need help opposing Marigold. They weren't soldiers, but someone had to do it. It was the right thing to do. If that wasn't a good enough reason for their actions, than nothing else was.


	6. A Hunt like no Other

5: A Hunt like no Other

Jake stood several paces away from where Davian rested, just watching him intently. He hadn't woken up since he'd returned from destroying the bulldozer, and Jake knew that the real Davian was likely getting some well earned rest while the avatar regenerated. Sateyah had hardly left his side during that time. It wouldn't be more than a day or two now before Davian was back on his feet. As Jake looked at the comatose avatar, he thought about all that had happened only a few short days ago. Davian had risked his life to prove where he stood. He had risked his life at the clan leader's command, _his_ command. It was clear now to Jake that his trust had been properly placed in Davian to begin with, but his actions toward him had shown that he clearly didn't trust him enough. He'd almost gotten him killed just because of his paranoia about avatar infiltration. Jake breathed a deep sigh. Tsu'Tey would have been rolling on the ground laughing at the irony of it all, knowing that Jake, a Dreamwalker himself, had inherited that same Dreamwalker-phobia.

"{What troubles you, _ma_ Jake?}" Neytiri's voice came soothingly from behind as she stepped up beside him and snaked her arm around his.

Jake's chest heaved in a deep sigh as he looked at Davian's sleeping avatar, "It was like you said, Neytiri. My demand for Davian to prove himself nearly cost him his life. My paranoia nearly cost the life of one our best. I almost let what I thought was a mistake lead to a real one."

Neytiri shook her head in response, "You bear a great burden, _ma_ Jake. It is no easy task to lead the clan as you do. No one expects you to be perfect."

Her mate huffed quietly, "That doesn't make me feel any better about it."

Neytiri rested her head on his shoulder, "We should thank Eywa that Davyan lived. We would have lost more than just him if he had not." She nodded toward Sateyah to emphasize the remark.

Jake looked at Neytiri, "Once Davian's back on his feet, I'm going to need your help with something, Neytiri." He looked back at the avatar, "I want to show him."

Two more days passed before the wounds to Davian's avatar were finally healed. Once they were, he returned to clan life as before, but this time seemed different. All of the Omaticaya knew that Davian had risked his neck to prove where he stood, and they all seemed to honor him far more because of his feat. It was clear that he had indeed earned the clan's respect now.

Exactly a week after the little bulldozer incident was when Jake decided to show Davian something. The scientist was sound asleep in his bunk back at the field station. He'd put his avatar to bed for the night shortly before racking down himself for some much needed shut-eye. Everything was going crazy ever since Marigold showed up. The Omaticaya were gathering supplies and preparing for war, even though everyone knew they didn't have the strength to take on Marigold by themselves. It was an issue he'd brought to Jake's attention on several occasions, but his response was always "Wait and see". Patience having never been one of Davian's greater virtues, he was getting tired of "waiting" and wanted to get to the "seeing" part. On top of that, the Foundation base command back at Hell's Gate had been sending repeated and increasingly agitated communiqués demanding that Dr. Simon and her team return to base for transport off-world. She'd been doing what she could to stall for them, but she was running out of excuses. There were only so many ways Kim could sabotage his own chopper to buy them time. Over all, tensions were mounting on every front, and it was only a matter of time before somebody snapped.

A firm tap on Davian's shoulder caused the slumbering scientist to roll over and wearily blink his eyes open. It was Will and Dr. Simon, standing next to his bunk. Will was standing watch that night, but Dr. Simon's eyes were red and ringed, clear signs that she'd been woken up, too.

Davian rubbed his face and yawned, "Hey. What's up, docs?"

Anita nodded to him, "You need to be. You have a visitor."

"A visitor?" Davian looked at his clock, "At this hour? Who is it? Mr. Spellman?"

"No, the Foundation's founder is not paying a surprise visit." Dr. Simon jabbed him in the ribs before walking away, "Get up and come find out who it is."

Davian covered another yawn with his hand, "All right. I'll get up, but don't be surprised if I'm a Sleepwalker instead of Dreamwalker." He slid out of bed and pulled on a shirt before stumbling around to the work area of the field station, separated by a short tunnel from the bunkhouse. He walked in to find Dr. Simon sitting at a desk and, of all people, Neytiri looking in on them from outside through one of the widows.

Davian furrowed his brow, almost forgetting how sleepy he was, "Neytiri? What are you doing here?"

Neytiri's voice came filtered and mechanical sounding through an intercom, "_I have come on Jake's behalf, Davyan. He needs you at Hometree. There is something he must show you._"

"Something he must show me?" Davian thought for a moment before shrugging, "Okay. Give me a minute to get linked up." He didn't waste any time climbing into his link pod and getting set up, still not knowing what to make of this.

Davian's avatar blinked his eyes open at Hometree, looking up to see the inside of his hammock. He tapped the edge to cause it to retract and found himself looking up at Jake standing on the branch above him.

Davian yawned and stretched briefly before climbing out, "This body's just as tired as the other one. You want to tell me what this is all about?"

Jake thrust Davian's bow into his hand, "You're coming with me. There's something I want you to see."

Without further ado, the two warriors left Hometree, quietly heading up to mount their _ikran_ to hasten the journey. They flew for what seemed like forever, but was actually less than an hour's time. Davian's fatigue eventually died down as he got his blood flowing riding Sky Dive. They pressed on until they landed in a large tree near a steep ridge, and both warriors dismounted to climb it. Jake reached the top first and turned around to Davian, pointing out beyond the ridge. Davian reached the top and his jaw nearly hit the ground. The ridge they stood on overlooked a vast clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a gigantic fallen tree. The tree's trunk had to be nearly a half a kilometer long, meaning it would have stood at least a full click into the air before it fell. The tree had been dead for a while now, the leaves having all fallen to the ground long ago and the branches looking bare and haggard. It was a grand sight to behold, but the place also stank of death.

Davian looked out over the spectacle in awe, "What is this place?"

"This was Hometree; destroyed by Quaritch and his men seven years ago." Jake's face hardened as he looked out over the decimated landscape, "Destroyed with the intel _I_ gave him."

"So that's why you acted the way you did;" Davian looked at Jake, "You were afraid of history repeating itself."

Jake nodded slowly, "I don't know how many died when the tree fell, and I don't want to know. But I do know that I promised myself that I would never let this happen again." The chieftain bowed his head, "I come out here once a month to remind myself of my responsibility to protect my clan. I'm showing you this so you can understand the kind of pressure I'm under. I promised my people that our new Hometree would never fall like this one did, and I aim to keep that promise."

Davian nodded solemnly as he looked out at the enormous dead tree, "This definitely puts a whole new perspective on things."

"And for what it's worth," Jake turned to face him, "I'm sorry. I should've trusted you more."

Davian looked at him and nodded, "Well, for what it's worth, I understand. I wouldn't have wanted to be in your shoes."

Jake smirked and held out his hand, "Semper Fi?"

"Semper Fi." Davian smiled and nodded firmly as he shook Jake's hand.

The clan leader jerked his head back toward the tree their _ikran_ were perched in, "Let's get back to Hometree. We've got a lot of plans to make."

"A lot" of plans was a vast understatement. The Omaticaya clan itself numbered barely a couple thousand, and not even half of that was the warriors who were ready to fight. Hit-and-run raids could do some damage to Marigold's forces, but it wouldn't stop the bulk of their force if they decided to let loose with a full frontal assault. One Na'vi warrior could easily take down several human soldiers in battle, but even with the resources they'd gathered, they would need a force over fifty times their present size to even have a chance of defeating the mercenary army. Every scout report said the same thing: Marigold had soldiers, guns, and armor in spades. This was not going to be easy.

Jake nodded curtly as he dismissed an _ikran_ scout and turned to head back to the map table. Dr. Simon and her team, at least the ones who had avatars, had brought a few technological gadgets with them when they came to Hometree to lend what help they could, one of which being a hologram projector that acted as an impromptu map for the impromptu war room. They set it up further away from the Tree to keep the technology from spooking the other clansmen who wouldn't be so readily accepting of it. Presently, the projector showed Hometree in the center, and a lot of area surrounding it.

Davian looked up from the map as Jake approached, "And the news is?"

"Nothing good." Jake shook his head, "It looks like Marigold's forces are clearing an area a couple dozen kilometers northwest. It sounds like they're trying to establish a perimeter so they can set up a base. If they do that, they'll be able to hit us hard. It'll be the Time of Great Sorrow all over again."

Davian nodded, "All the more reason to roll out the 'unwelcome' mat sooner rather than later."

Dr. Simon's avatar looked at Davian, "And just how are we going to do that? Unless you have a nuke or two up your backside that you've been saving for a special occasion, then I think we're going to need more than bows, arrows, and knives against machine guns and armor plating."

"That's not the only problem." Will's avatar spoke up from across the table, "There's too few of us. You're crazy if you think that only four hundred warriors with bows and arrows can take on an army this big."

Jake nodded in response, "Bows and arrows is how we fight, and it's served us well in the past. And I know we don't have enough warriors. If we want to have a chance at beating these guys, we're going to have to unite the clans like we did seven years ago."

Davian shook his head, "That's not going to be easy. The other clans aren't going to come running just because we say 'please'."

Sateyah looked at Davian, "If one they respect calls for them, they will come."

The scientist nodded, "I know that, and the question remains how we're going to find someone they respect. What do you think, Jake?" He looked to find that the chieftain had stepped away from the table, "Jake?"

They all looked to find Jake standing near the edge of the forest. He stopped at the edge and cupped his hand around his mouth, letting out some kind of call that Davian had never heard before. He called twice before a loud, squawking roar sounded from the sky above them. The sound of large wings flapping heralded a huge shadow passing overhead. A large red creature soared through the air, coming around to a gentle descent near Jake. Davian took a step back away from it. He recognized it as a Great Leonoptyrix, and he knew they were carnivorous. Jake, on the other hand, seemed genuinely unafraid of it. He walked up to the animal as it lowered its head and he stroked it almost affectionately, like a master would touch a pet. Davian also noticed a large harness on the animal's neck, similar to an _ikran_ harness except bigger, leading him to the only conclusion that this Leonoptyrix was somehow domesticated.

Sally's avatar looked on with wide eyes, "What is that?"

Jake spoke as he stroked the animal's crested head, "This is _toruk_, roughly translated 'last shadow'. They like to attack from above, so their shadow is the last thing you ever see."

Neytiri looked more confused than anyone, "I thought you released him years ago."

Jake nodded, "I did. But about a year or so back, I started getting a funny feeling that _Toruk Makto_ was going to be needed again. So I went looking for him. Turns out, he wasn't as hard to find as I thought. He stayed pretty close; didn't want to leave his master's side, I guess." He turned away from the large bird and approached the map table again, "The clans will come when _Toruk Makto_ calls. That's a rallying cry nobody can ignore. Neytiri and I will get on that right now." Jake looked at his fellow marine, "Davian, I'm leaving the clan to you while we're gone. You shouldn't have any problems given your recent accomplishments. Your main priority is going to be organizing the new warriors when they start showing up. Can I count on you?"

Davian shrugged uneasily, "Aside from thinking you're crazy for putting _me_ in charge, I'll do my best."

Jake shrugged in return, "Well, at least that last part was what I wanted to hear." Jake turned and helped Neytiri mount the _toruk_, "We'll be back in a week or two. Just keep your ear to the ground on Marigold's forces. If they start doing anything fishy, send the _ikran_ scouts to find us immediately." With his last order given, Jake hopped onto the _toruk_ and pushed his visor down as they lifted off the ground, circling once to gain some altitude before soaring away on the winds into the distance.

Davian stared out after them, "I sure hope he knows what he's doing."

Sateyah looked at him, "This was how the clans united against the Sky People before, Davyan. It succeeded then, and there is no reason it will not succeed now." She took his hand to lead him back to the Tree, "Come. You have much to do now."

The time went by fast after Jake and Neytiri left to rally the clans. The first day was quiet, but the second day and on was when the new warriors started to arrive from clans near and far, keeping Davian rather busy. He had to make sure they had adequate provisions for the new soldiers as well as ensuring they had a place to sleep, not easy tasks with the ever increasing numbers he was dealing with. The entire team fell into a rather predictable pattern. A group of warriors would arrive and Davian would divvy out assignments to make sure they were billeted properly. Once they were taken care of, he'd set about preparing for the next group to show up. When they did, the cycle would begin anew. He started becoming fairly efficient at it as their numbers began to swell into the high thousands and beyond.

Sateyah watched Davian as he spoke to the leader of a group of newly arrived horsemen from one of the plains clans, showing them where they were to stable their mounts and bunk down for the night. He seemed well-suited to a leadership position, even though he wasn't comfortable with it. It was that occasional awkwardness that only made him more attractive in her eyes. And no matter the task, he always faced it with a certain boldness that few like him ever had. In Sateyah's mind, Davian was clearly among the clan's best.

"I've seen that star-struck look on a girl's face before. Except the last time I saw it was in the mirror." Dr. Simon's avatar came up next to Sateyah from behind her. She glanced at Davian briefly as he waved the horsemen on, "You care about him, don't you."

Sateyah's eyes darted down briefly before she answered, "I…I know there is little use hiding it. I only wish that our kinship could go as deep as that."

Dr. Simon furrowed her brow, "He likes you, too, Sateyah. He told me once."

"I am not certain it is the kind of fondness you refer to, Anitasimon." The huntress' gaze fell to the ground, "Among our people, a man must choose his mate, and she chooses him if he proves worthy to her. Davyan…Davyan has not chosen me. I fear that he sees me more as his teacher and friend, and not so much as a possible mate."

Dr. Simon smiled as she put her hand on Sateyah's shoulder, "You know, I think he has chosen you. He's just afraid to say it. He's afraid that he's not worthy of your affections."

Sateyah shook her head slowly, "He is more than worthy. I would not choose any other over him."

"Well," Anita nudged her arm, "maybe you should tell him. Let him know that you would accept him if he did choose you." She looked at Davian as he gave orders to an _ikran_ scout, "He may just be keeping his feelings to himself until he knows he has a chance. Support his feelings a little, and just watch. You never know where it could take you." Dr. Simon smiled at Sateyah before turning to walk away, "I think you two would make a cute couple."

As Dr. Simon walked away, Sateyah looked at Davian again. Maybe she was right. Maybe…in an odd way of looking at it, she had to choose him before he would choose her. It seemed backwards to her, something she would have to think about for a while.

The tide of new warriors finally ebbed a little less than a week and a half after Jake and Neytiri left, slowing to a trickle of incoming arrivals that were handled easily. Thirteen days after departing, Jake and Neytiri returned to Hometree, bringing a large band of _ikran_ warriors with them. Jake brought his _toruk_ down to a large branch where Davian was waiting for him. Neytiri hopped off immediately and Jake climbed off to approach Davian. He kept his surprise to himself at seeing how much Davian had changed since the last time he saw him. The simple scientist had shaved his avatar's head at both temples and let the rest of his hair grow out into a traditional Omaticaya warrior's mohawk, growing from the top of his head and falling in a thicket of dreadlocks down his back. He'd also marked his face and chest with the traditional warrior's markings, patterns of lines symbolic of the warrior's strength and resolve to win the battle. It was a bit odd to say the least to see him looking like that.

Davian gave Jake a casual salute, "Am I ever glad to see you."

"Likewise." Jake pushed his visor up onto his forehead and looked Davian over once, "I like the new look."

Davian looked down at himself and shrugged, "It was Sateyah's idea, actually. Figured since I threw in with you guys, I might as well look the part."

Jake chuckled briefly before getting back to business, "We've contacted all the clans we could reach quickly. Also, I've got another two hundred _ikran makto_ who came with us from the last clan. How many does that give us?"

Davian's eyes darted around for a moment as he did the math in his head, "About twenty thousand, give or take."

"Twenty thousand?" Jake cursed under his breath, "That's not even half what I was shooting for."

"It's better than the two thousand you had in the last scuffle seven years ago." Davian shrugged, "It looks like we're just going to have to make due with what we have."

"No kidding. Any activity around here?"

Davian shook his head, "Marigold's been quiet. The last scout reports say they're almost done clearing their perimeter. They've even started sending down prefab buildings and construction equipment."

Jake winced, "Which means we don't have a lot of time left. If we're going to make a move, it's going to have to be soon." The two warriors started descending the Tree toward the map table, "Have you managed to figure out their force deployment?"

Davian nodded as he hopped to a lower branch, "I took a couple of recon flights myself to get a good look. From what I could see, they have a full division's worth of infantry, plus a couple of armored battalions backing them up, mostly AMP suits."

Jake huffed, "Which means we stand pretty much toe to toe. Any aircraft?"

"None that I could see, but I couldn't get very close. Sky Dive would've been pretty pissed if he got a missile up his butt."

"Probably." The clan leader nodded as they both jumped to a platform a few meters down, "By the sound of it, we can win this fight, but it's going to get kinda dicey."

Davian glanced at Jake as he grabbed a branch and swung down to a lower branch, "If you don't mind indulging my curiosity, why gather the army here? Wouldn't it have been smarter to assemble them at the Tree of Souls, keep Marigold away from that area?"

Jake shook his head as he followed suit, "We could only be so lucky if Marigold was stupid enough to threaten the Tree of Souls. Every Na'vi on the planet would be jumping down their throats if they tried a stunt like that." The two finally hit the ground floor and started toward the map table to join everyone else, "I've been thinking about how to take them on ever since we left, and I think I have a plan put together." He came to the map table and pointed to a spot in the hologram projection of the region, an area a short distance from Hometree, "We'll camp the army in the western fields for a night or two just past the forest."

Sateyah furrowed her brow, "The western fields? But that is in the open where they can attack us."

"Exactly." Jake nodded, "I want them to know that we're here and that we're gunning for them. If they have any sensors pointed in this direction, they're going to see a big army ready to get a piece of them. It'll force them to deploy for a preemptive strike. We use that to lure them away from their base. Ammo and fuel will be hard to come by once they're far enough out, so it'll force them to fight conservatively."

Dr. Simon folded her arms, "That's all well and good, but what if they don't take the bait?"

The clan leader shook his head, "If their CO is anything like Quaritch was, they won't be able to resist. Preemptive strike against a target of opportunity like this would only be good tactics. We lure them out, hit them with everything we have, and send them running scared."

"As an embellishment to your master plan," Davian pointed to the map hologram, "Maybe we can try flanking them, too. Send the _ikran_ _makto_ over the battlefield to land behind them. Not only are they fighting conservatively, but it'll force them to fight on two sides."

Jake nodded appreciatively, "That sounds good. You and Sateyah will take the _ikran_ _makto_ for the flanking maneuver. Neytiri and I'll lead the main force on the ground."

Davian jerked his head toward the _toruk_ on the branch above them, "What? You're not taking 'Clifford the Big Red Bird' for a run?"

Jake looked up at the _toruk_ and shook his head, "No, I'm not. He's our rallying symbol. If we need reinforcements and he's dead, we're screwed."

The scientist arched an eyebrow, "Hmm. Good point."

Jake leaned forward, putting his hands on the table, and looked at everyone, "The key here is timing. If the _ikran makto_ take too long to hit their backs, it'll leave us vulnerable. At the same time, we need to keep their attention on us, or they'll shoot our birds down. More than anything, we need to make this count. We don't have enough warriors to pull this stunt a second time. Everyone get some rest. We're pulling the army out of here at sunup tomorrow morning."

As everyone dispersed to go rest or prepare for the coming battle, Jake took Davian aside to talk in private, "I'm going to send a group of hunters up to guard the field station that you and your team are linking out of."

"No, don't." Davian shook his head, "We need everyone we can get in this fight. Besides, chances are the mercs don't even know we're up there."

Jake's ears turned down and he shook his head, "I don't think that's very smart, Davian. Quaritch nearly had my number seven years ago because my link pod was unguarded. And I think we've already covered how I feel about history repeating itself."

Davian waved the comment off, "Don't worry about it. We'll be fine."

Jake nodded slowly, "All right. But for the record, I've got a bad feeling about leaving you guys up there alone."

The entire next day was spent mobilizing the twenty thousand strong army they'd gathered, moving them to an area of open fields about a dozen or so clicks west of Hometree. The Marigold position would be due north of them from here. Davian looked out at the throng of Na'vi from off Sky Dive's wing. It was quite a sight to behold. Direhorsemen, foot soldiers, _ikran_ _makto_, and even the occasional thanator rider all moved across the fields. Twenty thousand Na'vi, each gathered from over forty clans far and wide. They were all here for one reason: to prove that this was their land; to prove that the Sky People cannot simply take what they want; to prove once and for all that they were a force to be reckoned with. Davian thought good and hard about it as his _ikran_ flew over the massive army. There was no going back now. Once they had Marigold's attention, it was do or die. He looked down at the many warriors below, idly wondering to himself just how many of them would never see the next dawn.

Davian walked around the camp in the early morning hours, moving amongst the warriors who were either sound asleep or praying for the coming battle. They had barely been there a day before the lookouts confirmed that Marigold's forces were mobilizing and were on their way here. The army would be moving out to meet them at first light. Davian couldn't sleep anymore because of knowing what lay beyond the sunrise: war, plain and simple. He thought he'd seen the last of conflicts like this when he left the marines. It was just further testimony of how life could prove you wrong just to mess with your head sometimes. Since he couldn't sleep, Davian linked up with his avatar to check on the troops. As far as he could tell, morale was generally high. The warriors all believed they had a chance to win a great victory. Davian did his best to encourage those views wherever he could, knowing that, victory or not, many of them would likely not live through it.

As Davian walked through the camp, he saw someone sitting next to a fallen tree further away. He came closer to find that it was Sateyah, just sitting there by herself with her knees curled up under her chin, her tail gently swishing back and forth. She looked back at him as he approached and her face seemed to brighten. The war paint around her eyes, cheeks, and chin made her look even prettier to Davian, odd considering it was meant to look imposing.

Davian nodded to her as he approached, "{I See you, Sateyah.}"

"{I See you, Davyan.}" The huntress returned his nod.

The warrior scholar sat down next to her, "{What troubles you?} You only separate yourself like this when something's bothering you."

"It is nothing." She shook her head, quietly jingling the beads in her hair, "I am…what is word…_ank-shus_…anxious about the coming battle."

Davian shrugged, "What's to be nervous about? We're going to win this thing."

"I know." Sateyah looked at him with a smile, "And it gives me peace to have you near now."

Davian gently put his arm around her shoulders, "If it puts a smile back on that pretty face, then I'll stay as close by as I can." Sateyah smiled again before leaning against him and resting her head on Davian's shoulder.

"Davyan?" She looked up at him, "There is something I feel I must tell you before the battle." She straightened up and took a nervous breath, "You are One of the People, which means you may choose a woman for your mate. I wanted to tell you that…if you…"

"{Excuse me, Davyan of Omaticaya.}" A Na'vi warrior from another clan approached them suddenly, "{My warriors' courage fails them in this time of need. I came to ask if you would tell them the tale of how you slew the Sky People's metal beast to embolden their spirits.}"

Davian nodded to him hesitantly, "{Of course. I'll be there soon.}" He looked at Sateyah, "Sorry. Duty calls. I'll be right back to listen to what you have to say. Okay?"

Sateyah gave a disappointed nod, "I understand." Before he could leave, Sateyah held Davian's shoulder long enough to give him a kiss on the cheek. As Davian walked away to follow the warrior back to his men, he chanced a glance back at Sateyah. He'd never seen her this way before. She seemed more open than normal, almost vulnerable. Her demeanor reeked with fear, not for herself, but for something or someone else. He wrote it off for now, considering that neither of them may survive to find out. He never did get another chance that morning to finish his conversation with Sateyah. And soon, he would learn just how important the words she held in her heart were.


	7. Other Ways to Fall

6: Other Ways to Fall

Davian looked off his left wing as he flew. The army was moving in formation. Warriors on foot composed the first two ranks with the cavalry right behind them. It was a feign tactic that Jake had come up with after their experiences with human ground forces seven years ago. The warriors would begin the charge, then the horsemen would charge out in front of them a moment after, closing the distance to the enemy's line faster than they expect. He only hoped it would work. Davian looked off his right wing. Sateyah and nearly two and a half thousand _ikran_ _makto_ filled the skies high above the main force. They were as ready as they were going to get. Sateyah looked at Davian and gave a confident nod. She was ready, as were the warriors she commanded. Davian looked forward again. Now, it was all up to tactics, skill, and fate. Of course, victory often lay in preparation, which was why the scouts had spent much of the night lacing the forest glades with traps of varying sorts that would help tilt the scales in their favor. Davian himself was also dressed for the occasion. In addition to his spear, he was packing the M-60 assault rifle he'd nearly used at his campsite so long ago. That and a belt of half a dozen grenades across his chest that Kim had been able to lift from a Foundation security locker added a little bit of punch to the ensemble. His face and chest were marked with large red, yellow, and black battle stripes of the Omaticaya warrior, making the humble scientist rather imposing to look at.

As the army started to enter the forest glades where the battle would join, Davian noticed something out of place. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the enemy formation closing in front of them. He waited a moment longer as the distance closed before it became clear, and his eyes widened suddenly when he saw it. Behind the main human ground force was a double line of AT-99 Scorpion gunships that their tactics hadn't accounted for.

Davian keyed the buttons on his comm collar, "Jake, we've got a problem."

"_Add it to the list. What now?_"

"They have air support. Looks like three or four units of Scorpions. I wasn't counting on them."

"_Not good. Any bright ideas on how to take them out?_"

Davian shrugged, "Only one. I'll take my half of the _ikran_ warriors to hit them on the way down. The rest go to ground as planned."

"_That cuts our flanking force in half, Davian._"

"It's the only option we have."

Jake was quiet for a long moment, "_Do it, but do it fast. The sooner the whole force is on the ground is the sooner we can pincer them._"

Davian nodded, "Roger that." He looked toward Sateyah and rekeyed his comm to her frequency, "Take your force to the ground as planned. My force will attack the flyers." She nodded in response to show she'd understood him. Jake had taken the time to give all of the Na'vi commanders a crash course in how to work a comm collar to keep in touch with his men better.

Davian looked down when he heard explosions and gunfire. Flashes started lighting up the forest beneath him, signaling that the battle had begun.

Jake came over the comm, "_We've engaged! Make your move!_"

"Roger that. Here comes the cavalry." Davian signaled Sateyah, who nodded before pushing her _ikran_ down into a dive, all of her warriors following her lead. Davian likewise pushed Sky Dive toward the ground, but he wasn't aiming to land. A couple dozen Scorpion gunships lay directly beneath them, and they were big fat targets for Davian and his warriors. Air rushed by around them before Sky Dive spread his wings again to break their fall. Davian removed the safety on his rifle as they approached the first gunship. The formation was tight knit, sparking an idea in the scientist's mind. He jumped from his _ikran_ to land on the side of the gunship's cockpit, sagging the aircraft in the air with his added weight. He then heaved himself up and pointed his rifle into the cockpit, opening up with a long burst of full-automatic fire. The cockpit glass caved quickly under the assault and the pilot was killed fast, starting the gunship into a death spiral. Davian held on long enough for the wounded aircraft to drift near another before leaping off, catching the next gunship by the tail. The pilot immediately pulled into a tight turn to try to throw him off, but to no avail. The Na'vi avatar pulled himself up onto the aircraft's dorsal area before training his rifle on one of the engines. He opened up another sustained burst of fire that he held until the engine exploded in a flash of black smoke and fire. Davian turned and released the damaged aircraft, freefalling for a couple of meters before his faithful mount swooped in to catch him. All around, the _ikran_ warriors under Davian's command were following his lead. Warriors were either allowing their banshees to grapple the gunships or leaping to grab onto them themselves while others made precision attacks to the cockpit or engines.

About half the gunship force had been dealt with before they turned their guns on the Na'vi. The opening volleys of rockets and gunfire killed several dozen warriors and mounts immediately, forcing the Na'vi to go evasive. But their attack did not relent. In spite of mounting casualties, they pressed, attacking the metal flyers all the more aggressively. Davian watched as one gunship fired a burst of heavy gunfire, felling three of his warriors in a quick flash of death.

He leaned down and patted Sky Dive on the side of his neck, "You see that one, boy?" The _ikran_ squawked in response, "He's all yours." Davian tightened his grip on the harness as the banshee beneath him accelerated for the attack. Sky Dive came around behind the gunship before folding his wings and grabbing it with both claws, bringing with it the screech of tearing metal. Sky Dive then withdrew one claw and started smashing one of the tilt-rotors, ripping off chunks of plating. Finally, the banshee bit the engine rim and pulled at it until it came off completely, sending the wounded aircraft into a spin. The animal let go of the gunship as it fell in a death spiral, roaring triumphantly as he flapped his wings to gain some altitude. Davian patted the _ikran's_ neck again and looked around. Most of the gunships were either piles of debris on the ground or presently falling out of the sky. What few that weren't had turned tail and were running scared.

Davian keyed his collar, "Jake, the air cover's been dealt with. We're on our way down now."

"_Good. We're getting hammered down here. We could use some help._"

Davian motioned all of his remaining warriors down to the ground. He'd lost nearly a third of his force taking out the gunships, so reinforcements were going to be light. He pushed Sky Dive toward the ground before having him level out just above the tree tops, looking for a likely place to drop into the battle below. Everywhere below, the sounds of chain guns and auto cannons accompanied the choruses of war cries as the battle raged on, and flashes of fire and smoke heralded the demise of both Na'vi and human alike. Davian eyed an AMP suit that was trying to push through the Na'vi line. He detached his queue from Sky Dive before leaning off the harness and jumping, freefalling the remaining half dozen or so meters to a solid landing on the AMP suit's back. His impact with the mech knocked it clean off its feet, throwing it face down in the brush. Davian hopped off as the pilot stood the mech up again and turned around, but not before Davian climbed back on to hamper his efforts. He dodged a swing from one of the metal arms before jamming his hunting knife into the canopy seal. The other arm came around to grab Davian at the waist and pull him off, but not before he yanked his knife down through the seal to tear it open, exposing the pilot to the atmosphere. The mech dropped him as the pilot's priority suddenly changed to sealing the leak rather than killing the Na'vi warrior. To add insult to injury, Davian climbed up onto the mech's top, where he pulled the emergency rescue lever to shoot the canopy off the front of the Suit. He fired two short bursts into the cockpit to kill the pilot as he jumped off, the Suit falling over with a deafening thud as the pilot died under the gunfire.

With the AMP suit incapacitated, Davian dove for the cover of a fallen tree. He reloaded his M-60 before pushing up over his cover and laying down a long burst of suppressive fire on the enemy line. Unfortunately, all it did was draw attention to his position as the air around him lit up with hostile gunfire. Two AMP suits and a squad of mercs had Davian's position targeted and were doing their best to keep his head down while they advanced. A pair of Na'vi warriors charged forward to attack them only to be cut down by the hail of gunfire. Davian pulled a grenade from his chest strap and tossed it at the enemy group. However, he'd failed to compensate for the fact that his avatar had longer and stronger arms than a human. The grenade smacked the lead AMP suit right in the cockpit, causing it to drop its auto-rifle and start juggling the live grenade until it exploded a moment later, damaging the other suit and taking most of the infantry with it.

Davian looked up over his cover and his eyebrows rose with surprise, "Not what I was expecting, but I won't complain." He turned to lay down another spread of gunfire, sending the squad he was targeting into a retreat. Davian looked across the line to find that the entire remaining force of humans was withdrawing from the engagement. That would have been good if it weren't for the fact that it didn't feel right. Both sides had taken heavy casualties, but not heavy enough to call a retreat yet.

Davian keyed his comm, "Jake, they're falling back. That seem right to you?"

"_No, it doesn't. They've got something up their sleeve. Keep a sharp eye out_."

As it turned out, it wasn't a sharp eye but a sharp ear that they needed. Davian heard a familiar sound over the din of the fading battle and hoped he was wrong. His ears flattened back and his hopes were dashed as the sound drew closer and he recognized it.

"Everybody get down!" He turned around to the Na'vi warriors surrounding him, "{Get down, now!}" As many as could dove for cover just as it hit. The missiles exploded not even a meter above the forest canopy, the air-burst shockwaves flattening everything around them. Entire trees were felled in the blast, and whole groups of warriors were blown clear. Davian kicked off a branch that had fallen on top of him and stood up to look around. Another two or three dozen warriors lay dead or wounded around him, and the rest were spooked by the sheer fury of the attack.

Davian keyed his collar, "Jake, you still there?"

"_I am, but a lot of my warriors are dead. What did they hit us with?_"

"Artillery! I'd guess a Dragon Dropship further behind their line. They're going to shell us into submission!"

"_That's priority target number one now. We won't survive another hit like that._"

"Roger. I'll take the remaining _ikran_ _makto_ and hunt it down." Davian looked into the sky and called loudly, summoning Sky Dive to his position. As he mounted his faithful _ikran_, he motioned for all the warriors around him to do the same. Within a moment's time, fifteen hundred _ikran_ took to the air, on the hunt for the Dragon that had hammered their position. They flew over the human lines, dodging anti-air fire as they did and losing several more warriors and mounts. Davian and Sky Dive dodged a burst of heavy fire before he saw it. A Dragon Dropship hovered ominously above and behind the human lines. It was likely only a mater of minutes before it acquired a firing solution and let loose another volley of missiles. Davian pointed toward it and shouted a Na'vi war cry, the signal for his warriors to attack. They swooped in to attack in droves and the air filled with gunfire as the dropship's turrets came alive in its defense. Davian dodged more air fire as he tried to maneuver his way toward the dropship. All the Na'vi warriors knew about killing aircraft was to attack the engines or cockpit, but dropships were a whole different story. While not very agile, the aircraft were ridiculously well armed with both short and long range weaponry, which meant different tactics were needed to take it down.

Fortunately, they were tactics that Jake had perfected in the Great Battle years ago. Davian leapt off of Sky Dive down to the top of the dropship below him, landing and rolling into a crouch toward the stern half of the aircraft. He readied both his rifle and spear as he took off at a dead run toward the front of the dropship. A hatch ahead of him popped open and a suited merc stuck his head up with rifle in hand. Davian broke into a sprint for a short distance before dropping into a slide-tackle, kicking the hatch closed on top the merc with enough force to knock him out.

Davian ran to the portside main engine and knelt down, jamming his spear's head into the seam of a maintenance hatch and prying upward until he was rewarded with a loud snap as the lock gave way. He ripped the hatch off and pointed his rifle into the guts of the engine, letting fly with a sustained full-auto burst. He kept the trigger squeezed until black smoke and flames started billowing from the exhaust. He fired another quick burst for good measure before turning and running for the opposite engine. Knowing it was only a matter of time before the first engine malfunctioned and exploded completely, Davian didn't take time to play with the starboard side. He primed a grenade and flung it in front of the engine, watching as the intake sucked it into the debris guard. He jumped off the wounded Dragon just as both main engines exploded rather spectacularly, Sky Dive swooping in to catch him. A round from an AA gun grazed his thigh as he landed on his _ikran_. Davian looked over his shoulder as the Dragon fell out of the sky, falling onto a unit of ground forces that were waiting to reinforce the main group before its remaining missiles exploded brilliantly.

Davian smiled and keyed his collar, "Artillery's toast, Jake. I repeat, the artillery is done and gone."

"_Great, now get your butts back here! They've renewed their assault with reinforcements. We're getting pounded!_"

"On our way." Davian waved his warriors forward, noting that he'd lost another two or three hundred while slaying the Dragon. If nothing else, this was going to turn into a battle of attrition.

The _ikran_ warriors showed up as quickly as they could, but a flank attack was out of the question this time. The human's AMP Suits had formed a line in the middle of the infantry formation rather than mingling with them and were laying down heavy suppression fire over the merc's heads while the troops hit targets of opportunity. It was a tactic that was working with brutal efficiency, and Na'vi were dropping like flies. Davian and his group reinforced the Na'vi line from above and behind, adding bows and the occasional rifle to the exchange of fire. He dropped the rest of his grenades in a makeshift bombing run before going to ground himself. Davian put his back to a tree as he jammed a new drum into his rifle. They were in a bad way. They were putting down only the occasional mercenary, but everywhere Davian looked he saw a Na'vi warrior falling to the fray of battle. He turned around his cover and opened up in long burst-fire, trying in vain to score a hit. He looked across the way from him to find Jake reloading his rifle before standing and firing again. Davian turned around his cover and laid down another spread of gunfire, only to be stopped short as a bullet punched through his left arm. He pulled back around and checked it quickly. Clean entry and exit through the lateral biceps, so he pulled his arm band down a couple of inches to cover it up before getting back to the fight.

Davian looked across to Jake and shouted over the din, "We're getting screwed, Jake!"

"No kidding!" Jake ducked down as a burst of auto-rifle fire zipped over his head, "If we don't pull something out of our butts quick, we're going to have to fall back."

"I thought you said we don't have enough men to do this again."

Jake nodded, "We don't. But it's either we pull back or get slaughtered to the last…" He paused a moment and looked at the ground beneath him, "You feel that?"

Davian stopped and waited, quickly feeling what Jake referred to. It was a continuous tremor through the ground, and it was quickly getting stronger.

"Yeah, I feel it. What is that?"

The chieftain shook his head, "I don't know." They both looked behind them as the tremor intensified. Just then, the wall of trees was pushed aside as a line of over three dozen thanators charged through at full tilt.

"Son of a gun!" Jake's eyes widened, "Everybody get clear!" The Na'vi line opened up as the thanators charged through and around them, smashing headlong into the human lines. Davian saw one thanator leap on top of an AMP Suit before clawing it to pieces with all four of its forelegs.

Davian looked at Jake between the passing animals, "Did you say another prayer before we left?"

He shook his head, "Not me."

Davian confirmed Jake's claim as the thanators charged by, noticing they were decorated with different patterns of war paint, meaning they weren't feral thanators. And what was even weirder, each one had a Na'vi rider. Davian's brow crinkled curiously. He'd heard of Na'vi clans domesticating thanators before, but never on this scale.

A group of thanators came to a stop near Jake and the lead warrior riding one saluted him, "{Hail, _Toruk Makto_. When we heard your call, we came as quickly as we could. It took us time to prepare, you understand. I hope we're not too late to join you in battle.}"

Jake chuckled as he nodded to the warrior, "{You're just in time, Beyda'amo.}" He motioned toward the battle line, "{There're many more Sky People to kill. You and your warriors are welcome to them.}"

The leader, Beyda'amo, smiled, "{Excellent. We will chase them back into the sky.}" He motioned to his warriors, "{To battle!}" The remaining thanators and their riders charged into the fray, which was quickly turning into a rout as the humans began hastily retreating from the overwhelming force.

Jake stared after the thanators as they charged off, shaking his head, "You know, those guys could've been really useful seven years ago."

Sateyah came up to the pair as the last of them charged by and shrugged, "I did not expect the Tipani clan to answer your call."

Davian chuckled, "I think that makes three of us. And frankly, having seen what a thanator can do, I'm glad they're on our team." He looked around as the remaining warriors began to gather, "So they'll mop up the rest. I guess that means we win."

Jake nodded and wiped his brow, "We're in the clear. We need to start dealing with the casualties now."

Davian returned his nod, "Great. I'll get my men to…" He trailed off as his eyes rolled back and he limply collapsed to the forest floor.

"Davyan!" Sateyah darted forward and knelt at his side, "Davyan, what is wrong? Davyan?" She shook him twice without a response before looking up at Jake, "What is wrong with him? He has no wound that would cause this."

The clan leader looked at the comatose avatar briefly before Neytiri came over the comm, "_Ma Jake, Anitasimon and the others have just fallen. None of them are hurt. What is wrong?_"

Jake keyed his comm collar, "I think I know. I just hope I'm wrong." He pointed to a nearby group of warriors, "{You there. Stay here and guard Davyan's body.}" He touched Sateyah's shoulder to get her attention, "Mount your _ikran_. We need to get to the field station." The chieftain and the huntress mounted _toruk_ and _ikran_ respectively and set out for the science team's field station as fast as the wind could carry them. It was less than two hour's walk from where they were, meaning it was only be a quick flight. The whole way, Jake hoped and prayed that his initial suspicions were wrong, but each beat of the wing only brought with it a deeper sense of dread. His suspicions were confirmed as they neared the station, its position marked by a billowing column of black smoke. Just as Jake had feared, it appeared that Marigold's forces hit the station on their way out. Jake and Sateyah set down a dozen meters away and looked around. The chopper had been reduced to a burning pile of twisted metal and the station buildings had huge holes blasted in them. The bunkhouse was still on fire.

Jake and Sateyah started frantically searching, "Davian? Dr. Simon? Is anyone here?"

The team pilot, Kim, came out from behind what was left of the supply wing wearing an exopack, waving them over, "We're here! Over here!"

Jake walked up to him and looked around again, "What happened here?"

"A squad of AMP Suits decided to use the station for target practice until they were chased off by a couple of Na'vi riding thanators. They worked the place over pretty solidly. Most of us are all right, but Davian…" He looked back to where the team was gathered, "He's not looking so hot."

Kim showed the two Na'vi back to the science team's hiding place, where everyone was gathered around Davian. He was lying propped up against the side of the building. His left side was drenched in blood and his breathing was becoming dodgy.

Jake knelt down next to him, "How'd this happen?" He saw the still-warm assault rifle next to Davian and shook his head, "Never mind. Forget I asked."

"Davyan!" Sateyah knelt down next to him and gently cradled him in her arms, the size difference between them making him look like a child.

Davian wearily turned his head to look up at her and smiled, "Sateyah. We meet at last."

Jake looked at Dr. Simon, "How bad is he?"

She shook her head, "He has massive trauma to his lower left abdomen, probably some internal hemorrhaging, and he's lost a lot of blood. I don't know how much time he has left, but it's not much."

Jake frowned and looked at Davian, "You should've listened to me about guarding the field station, jarhead."

"No way." The wounded scientist wearily shook his head, "Admitting I was wrong will hurt more than this does."

Sateyah looked at Jake with tears in her eyes, "Is there no way we can save him?"

The chieftain nodded uneasily, "There is a chance, but it's slim. Last time we tried, it didn't work."

She looked down at Davian again, "We must do something."

Dr. Simon nodded, "A slim chance is better than no chance at all. Don't you agree?"

Jake nodded before looking to the huntress cradling Davian, "Sateyah, go back and recover Davyan's Dreamwalker body. You know where to bring it." He keyed his collar as she hurried off to mount her _ikran_, "Neytiri, go back to Hometree and find your mother. Have the _ikran makto_ bring as many people to the Tree of Souls as possible." He carefully picked up Davian and stood, "We'll do what we can for him. Just pray for a miracle." He turned and headed back to his _toruk_.

Davian looked up at Jake, "Did we…did we win?"

Jake nodded firmly, "Yeah, Davian. We thrashed them good. Now you shut up and save your strength. You're part of my clan and I won't have you dying on my watch. You hear me?"

Davian smiled, "As long as we…won…I…" His head fell back and his eyes fluttered closed.

Jake shook him awake, "Hey, hey, hey! Wake up, marine! Stay with me. Semper Fi. Remember?" Davian's eyes slowly opened again, but it was clear that he was running out of time.

The flight to the Tree of Souls took almost an hour, and Jake fought to keep Davian awake and alert every step of the way as he faded in and out of consciousness. When he arrived, all the preparations had been made. Mo'at, Neytiri's mother and senior _tsahík_ of the clan, stood at the base of the tree with Davian's avatar and several hundred people gathered around as Jake's _toruk_ set down, carrying the dying scientist with him. They stripped him out of his bloody clothes and wrapped him in a set of ceremonial vines. Clothing would inhibit the tree's fibers from interfacing with his nervous system properly. Jake carried Davian over and gently set him down, head to head with his comatose avatar. His pulse was very weak and his breathing was getting shallower with each breath.

Jake looked down at him and shook him a little, "Davian? Hey, you still with me?"

Davian's eyes fluttered open, "I'm…here…"

Jake looked up at Mo'at, "{We're running out of time.}"

The older _tsahík_ nodded and looked out at the people seated before her, "{Then let it begin.}" The Na'vi all began a low monotone chant, swaying their heads back and forth as Mo'at began the ritual. Each one's neural queue was bonded with the roots they sat on. The motions and the chanting were all to bring their nervous systems into alignment, forming the powerful and conscious entity known as Eywa, the spirit of Pandora. It was only with this power they could hope to save Davian. Jake watched as the root fibers snaked up and laced into Davian's skin. Contrarily, the fibers around the avatar slithered up to lace in with it, and the queue opened and wrapped itself into the roots beneath it, forming the bond they needed. Mo'at went on with a ritual chant, a prayer to Eywa to accept Davian into her embrace and return him to his avatar body as one of the People. She continued until there was a surge of light from the roots surrounding Davian, and gave the signal that hushed everyone. Mo'at stooped down, holding her hands over the heads of both Davian and his avatar. A long and tense moment passed as everyone held their breath. Sateyah stood gripping Neytiri's hand as they looked on. The moment passed with no response or movement. The pulsing glow of the roots around the bodies faded until they were dark. Mo'at knelt down and removed Davian's mask, finding it no longer necessary.

Jake took a step forward, "Is…is he…"

Mo'at looked up at him and shook her head slowly, "His wounds were too great. There is nothing more that can be done. He is with Eywa now."

Jake turned away sharply, the very human curse he shouted echoing in the silence. Neytiri bowed her head as Sateyah fell to her knees next to Davian's avatar, bowing her head over his chest and weeping openly.

"No…no…Davyan…" She took a sharp breath between sobs, "Davyan…I choose you…I choose you, Davyan…no…" She continued to weep over the body. Everyone's heads bowed in reverence for the fall of a warrior and hero.

Unnoticed to everyone, an _atrokirina'_ fluttered down from the tree above them. It flitted down on gusts of air until it settled on the shoulder of Davian's avatar. Sateyah continued to shed her tears until she stopped when felt something from the body beneath her, what felt like the faintest beat within his chest. She was startled as he suddenly took in a sharp breath, greedily sucking air into empty lungs. Davian's avatar blinked his eyes open, coughing and unsteadily catching his breath for the next several moments.

"Davyan!" Sateyah smiled like she'd never smiled before. She touched his cheek as the tears flowed again, this time for joy at seeing that he was alive.

Davian looked up at Jake, "Grace says 'hi'."

Jake chuckled at the comment, "Yeah, he's back."

"What happened?" Davian looked around as Sateyah helped him slowly sit up, "I remember the field station being attacked, but it all gets real fuzzy after that."

"Take it slow. You've been through a lot." Jake stepped forward and knelt down next to him, "You're at the Tree of Souls. You took a bad hit when the station was attacked. The only way to save you was to…to move you into your avatar…permanently."

Davian's eyes widened, "Permanently?" He looked behind him at his human body, "I guess I won't be complaining about link pod cramps ever again."

Sateyah dried her eyes and touched Davian's cheek, "Davyan. It is so good to see you alive."

"Sateyah." Davian took her hands in his own, "One close brush with death is too many to leave this unsaid any longer." He took a short breath, "I…I choose you…as my woman. If you would have me."

Sateyah's face brightened like the midday sun, "I would gladly, Davyan." Davian returned her smile as the two pulled each other into an embrace. Sateyah helped Davian get to his feet and the people let out a cheer at seeing him alive.

Davian glanced at Sateyah before looking at Jake, "It looks like I'm moving in for good now."

Jake nodded subtly, "You know, Davian, with Txur'Tul gone, I still need a second for the clan. I think you'd fit the position perfectly."

Davian shook his head, "Now what did I say before about putting me in charge, Jake?"

The clan leader nodded, "I know what you said, but I outrank you. So you don't really have a choice."

The former scientist glanced at his woman briefly, "What about the clan politics? I don't think Sateyah's going to want to be _tsahík_ in the future."

Jake motioned toward Neytiri, "Davian, I was putting the moves on the chief's daughter while she was still engaged to the next _olo'eyktan_. Do you think I give a crap about clan politics?"

Sateyah laughed as Davian scoffed loudly, "Well, when you put it that way, I accept."

A day of celebration was declared to rejoice not only for their victory over the Sky People, but that Eywa had chosen to spare one of their greatest warriors from death. It was also a celebration of the unity of the People. The Na'vi had once again come together in the face of a great danger and emerged victorious. The cost was great, but the victory so much more precious for it. And through it all, one lone scientist never knew until afterward what a great role he would play in this planet's destiny. He never knew that he had been chosen as one who would see Pandora's wonders in a new and greater light. He never knew that he would find what he sought, even though he didn't know he sought it. But he did know that he now had what he wanted, a life worth fighting for, and that was all the explanation he needed.


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

"_So that's my story. Kinda clichéd, I know, but there it is. As for what happened with everything? Marigold high-tailed it out of there after the handling the Na'vi gave them. They ran scared, their tails tucked firmly between their legs as they left the system, hopefully never to return. I suppose it's too much to hope that they'll spread the word that the Na'vi don't screw around when it comes to defending our homes. The Foundation stepped up their research efforts by a few notches, fielding as many teams as they could and making good use of the Avatar Program to make peaceful contact with the Na'vi. It's probably only a matter of time before every egghead in the galaxy comes to get their piece of the Pandora pie. For the Na'vi, the hardest part after the battle was dealing with the fallen. There were over forty clans represented in that conflict, and all of them had taken heavy losses. A mass funeral was held at Hometree for all the brave warriors who fell in that battle. Then all the bodies were sent back with their clansmen for proper burial. In the end of it all, it reinforced the bond of brotherhood the Na'vi had one with another, and established the Omaticaya as one of the dominant clans of the region. As for me…well…I guess you could say that I have plenty of reasons to stick around now, not the least of which is this beautiful local woman who calls me her mate. I guess happy endings aren't just for fairytales after all. But let this be a warning to all who would exploit this world's wonders. The Na'vi are here, and this is our land. My name was Davian Steele, researcher and scientist, but not anymore. He's gone, and his story is done. My name is Davyan of the Omaticaya, and my story…is just beginning…"_

…

**File closed: vlogarchive.**

…

…

**File created: untitled**

…

**Awaiting Input…**


	9. Appendix

Appendix

…Jake stared after the thanators as they charged off, shaking his head, "You know, those guys could've been really useful seven years ago."

Sateyah came up to the pair as the last of them charged by and shrugged, "I did not expect the Tipani clan to answer your call."

Davian chuckled, "I think that makes three of us. And frankly, having seen what a thanator can do, I'm glad they're on our team." He looked around as the remaining warriors began to gather, "So they'll mop up the rest. I guess that means we're in the clear."

Jake nodded and wiped his brow, "In the clear and victorious. We need to start dealing with the casualties now."

Davian returned his nod, "Great. I'll get my men to…" He trailed off as his eyes rolled back and he limply collapsed to the forest floor.

"Davyan!" Sateyah darted forward and knelt at his side, "Davyan, what is wrong? Davyan?" She shook him twice without a response before looking up at Jake, "What is wrong with him? He has no wound that would cause this."

The clan leader looked at the comatose avatar briefly before Neytiri came over the comm, "_Ma Jake, Anitasimon and the others have just fallen. None of them are hurt. What is wrong?_"

Jake keyed his comm collar, "I think I know. I just hope I'm wrong."

Back at the field station several kilometers away, Davian's link pod opened suddenly to the spiraling orange lights of the prefab's breach alarm, the air rippling as Pandora's natural hydrogen sulfide interacted with the oxygen. The scientist sucked in a lung full of air long enough to put on an exopack and looked around for the rest of the team. He found them only a moment before the cause of the breach made itself apparent. A series of fist-sized holes marched up the side of the structure, destroying an abandoned link pod in the process. Davian looked out the window to find a quartet of AMP Suits outside, firing their auto-rifles on the defenseless field station.

"We're under attack!" Dr. Simon motioned everyone toward the back of the station, "Everyone to the back! We can get out from there!" She counted her team members as they passed her and made their way to the back exit. She paused and counted a second time when she came up one short.

"Where's Davian?"

Everyone looked around briefly before Jim pointed toward the station's weapon locker. Dr. Simon's heart sank when she saw it open and the rifle inside missing. She should've known that Davian would do something like this. In spite of calling himself a scientist, there was no such thing as an "ex-marine". There was too much soldier in him to run from a fight. She resigned herself to a grim outcome as she continued ushering everyone out through the back.

Davian stepped out the field station's front airlock with rifle in hand and immediately dove to roll behind the cover of a large supply crate as hostile gunfire tracked up where he'd just been standing. He put his back to the crate and peered around to get a look at the AMP Suits. By all rights, he knew it was suicidal to take on four AMP Suits by himself, but he was the only one present with any combat training or experience. If nothing else, he could buy some time for the others before the Na'vi came to reinforce them.

He leaned out from behind the crate and opened up burst fire-auto on one of the Suits. He knew he wouldn't be able to do much damage like this, but if he made his shots count, he might hit something vital. He pulled back around his cover when one of the Suits took aim and fired at him, but didn't stay long before leaning out again and firing. Several auto-rifle rounds sailed over his head, hitting the chopper behind him and igniting its fuel tank. Davian was thrown forward against his cover with the blast. He shook it off and kept firing, trying to score a hit. His efforts were finally rewarded when sparks shot from the knee of the Suit he was aiming at and gas started venting from the joint.

"_Ah!_" The Suit leaned down to cover the damage with its hand and the pilot looked at the team leader, "_He got me good. I've lost pneumatics in my right leg._"

The team leader stopped firing and looked back, "_Can you limp back to base?_"

"_I think so._"

The Suit waved him off, "_Then get clear. We'll take care of him._" The wounded AMP Suit stowed its rifle on its back before starting to limp away from the fight.

Another Suit pilot looked over at the leader, "_Is this dude serious? He really thinks he can take on all of us?_"

"_He just took one of us out of the fight. Don't underestimate him._" The leader's Suit took one hand off its rifle and pointed two fingers to the left, "_Move around and flank him. We'll cover you._" The heavy gunfire resumed as the remaining three AMP Suits put the maneuver into effect. Davian reloaded his rifle before leaning out and firing again. His bullets weren't doing much. There was a pretty lightshow of sparks as the rounds ricocheted off the mechs' armor and he managed to crack the glass on one of the cockpits, but he wasn't making any headway against them. That, and that third suit was quickly making his way around to neutralize his cover; then he'd be deep in it. Davian jammed his last clip into his rifle and leaned around his cover to fire again, but was stopped short when a lucky shot punched a whole the size of his head through the crate's corner. Davian was thrown away from the crate with the blast and a searing pain coursed through his left side. He pulled himself to the cover of the side of the field station with his good arm and looked down to find a gaping hole in his shirt, which was only the preamble to the damage done to the flesh beneath. It had been a near graze, but these AMP Suit GAU-90s were firing 30mm auto-cannon rounds, which meant even a miss was akin to a close-range shotgun blast on an unarmored person. It hurt like sin through most of his lower abdomen and he was losing a lot of blood. Davian clamped his arm down over the wound to stem the bleeding and hiked his rifle up to keep firing, but not before the large shadow of an AMP Suit loomed over him. The pilot smiled as he trained his auto-rifle on the wounded scientist. Davian clenched his teeth. Not like this; not a fish in a barrel.

The Suit's shot was spoiled when the mech was suddenly tackled from the side by a thanator. Davian forced a smirk onto his face through the pain. The thanator was decorated in similar war paint to the ones he'd seen back at the battlefield, and there was a Na'vi warrior riding its back. The animal shoved the AMP Suit aside, throwing it off balance and breaking its ammo belt in the process. The pilot recovered and took aim, pulling the trigger only to be rewarded with the dissatisfying click of an empty chamber. Taking advantage of the pause, the Na'vi warrior whooped a war cry as his _palulukan_ leaped forward, dropping the suit onto its back where it proceeded to shred it with its front paws.

The other two had their hands full of angry thanators, also. One of the Suits was tackled from behind and the thanator raked its claws down the mech's back, ripping the exhaust vents wide open on one side. The leader's suit turned around just in time to have his rifle ripped out of his hand, snapping the ammo belt and flinging the weapon into the jungle. He pulled his Suit Knife in response, but never had a chance to use it before the Na'vi-laden thanator knocked him to the ground.

"_Screw this, man! We got to get out of here!_" The first AMP Suit punched the thanator that was trying to shred him before standing and turning to run. The second did the same, working his way out from under the thanator's claws before running for the forest. The group leader never had a chance to escape, his cockpit having caved in on him from the animal's attack. The thanators pushed the "dead" Suit off the cliff before charging after the ones that fled the scene. Just as suddenly as they arrived, they were gone again. Davian smiled at the victory. It paid to have friends you could count on.

His smile disappeared as the fire in his side pulled him back to reality. He pulled his arm away from the wound to find that it was still bleeding badly. It was big and it was deep if the amount of blood was any indication. Davian knew from experience that he had less then an hour if he kept applying pressure to stem the bleeding. He'd have ten minutes if he let go. After thinking about it for a moment, he figured that it wasn't all that bad. Like greater heroes before him, he'd have given his life for a cause worth dying for. It didn't sound all that bad when you think about it like that.

"Davian?" Kim's voice came through the fire and smoke around him, "Davian?" He rounded the wreckage that had once been his chopper before he came to where the wounded scientist laid, "Davian!" The pilot ran to his side and knelt down, keying his radio, "Doc, I found Davian. He's around front." He looked him over once and frowned behind his exopack mask, "You better get here quick, doc. He's hurt bad." Within moments, Dr. Simon joined the team pilot at Davian's side.

"This isn't good." She pressed her hands against Davian's arm to add more pressure to stem the bleeding, "Kim, go get Will. We'll need three of us to move him around back." Kim stood and ran back to get the others.

Davian picked his head up and shook it, "Don't worry about me, doc. Go keep the rest of the team together."

"I intend to." She pointed at him, "The _whole_ team; including you. Now keep pressure on the wound."

The injured scientist laid his head back, "Seems like a lot of effort for little ole' me, Anita."

Dr. Simon's shoulders sank as she looked at her injured team member, "Davian, you want to know why I dote on you the way I do?" She breathed a burdened sigh as she checked the bleeding, "You remember how I said I had a son about your age, right? He was a marine, too. He was killed in Venezuela almost ten years ago. You remind me of him a lot." The scientist pressed her bloody hands against Davian's wound again and looked at him, "I already lost my son. I'm not going to lose you, too. Now keep it together. Okay?"

Kim and Will came through the smoke to help move Davian back around. He snarled in pain as they lifted him by his arms and legs to carry him around behind the field station. Normally, it wasn't smart to try to move someone as badly injured as Davian was, but they had to get him somewhere defensible in case they were attacked again. Once he was secure, Dr. Simon broke into the station's trauma kit for some stims and blood coagulants. She knew as she administered the injections that she was only buying Davian time.

Jim looked around and shrugged, "So now what? We're still up a creek without a paddle here."

Dr. Simon didn't look away from what she was doing as she administered the last of the stims to Davian, "Neytiri saw my avatar fall, so I know she'll send help. We just have to keep him alive until they get here." Davian's head fell forward as he started to slip out of consciousness.

"Hey, wake up, marine." Anita took the least tactful approach to waking him up by slapping him upside the head, "Name. Rank. Service number."

Davian pulled his head up slowly, "Steele, Davian B.; Corporal; service number: 2133-SS-307."

"That's right, Davian." Dr. Simon nodded, "Service record." She kept asking him questions; she needed to keep him focused and thinking.

"One tour, recon, Nigeria. Two tours, recon, Argentina; merits for valorous service."

"Valorous service?" Kim arched an eyebrow and pointed at Davian, "Okay, now I know he's making it up. Either that, or it's the drugs."

Dr. Simon looked back at the pilot with hard eyes, "He just took on four AMP Suits by himself. I don't think he's making up that 'valorous service' part."

"Davian? Dr. Simon? Is anyone here?"

"That's Jake!" Anita motioned toward where the voice came from, "Kim, go get him and bring him back here." She leaned closer to her wounded team member as Kim ran off, "Jake's here, Davian. You're going to be okay. We'll get you fixed up." She had a hard time believing her own words as his breathing became more and more dodgy. Kim brought Jake and Sateyah back to the science team's hiding place, where everyone was gathered around Davian.

Jake knelt down next to him, "How'd this happen?" He saw the still-warm assault rifle next to Davian and shook his head, "Never mind. Forget I asked."

"Davyan!" Sateyah knelt down next to him and gently cradled him in her arms, the size difference between them making him look like a child.

Davian wearily turned his head to look up at her and smiled, "Sateyah. We meet at last."

Jake looked at Dr. Simon, "How bad is he?"

She shook her head, "He has massive trauma to his lower left abdomen, probably some internal hemorrhaging, and he's lost a lot of blood. I don't know how much time he has left, but it's not much."

Jake frowned and looked at Davian, "You should've listened to me about guarding the field station, jarhead."

"No way." The wounded scientist wearily shook his head, "Admitting I was wrong will hurt more than this does."

Sateyah looked at Jake with tears in her eyes, "Is there no way we can save him?"

The chieftain nodded uneasily, "There is a chance, but it's slim. Last time we tried, it didn't work."

She looked down at Davian again, "We must do something."

Dr. Simon nodded, "A slim chance is better than no chance at all. Don't you agree?"

Jake nodded before looking to the huntress cradling Davian, "Sateyah, go back and recover Davyan's Dreamwalker body. You know where to bring it." He keyed his collar as she hurried off to mount her _ikran_, "Neytiri, go back to Hometree and find your mother. Have the _ikran makto_ bring as many people to the Tree of Souls as possible." He carefully picked up Davian and stood, "We'll do what we can for him. Just pray for a miracle." He turned and headed back to his _toruk_.

Dr. Simon watched as the enormous bird winged its way toward the horizon, "We'd better start praying, then."

Will did a double-take at her, "Wait a minute. What about all that stuff you said about him being okay?"

"It was the only way to keep his spirits up, Will." Anita shook her head, "I don't know what the Na'vi have in mind, but I think that's the last time we've all seen Davian Steele alive."

The next couple of hours went by very slowly as everyone waited to see if the Na'vi were able to save Davian. Dr. Simon did her best to her team occupied with salvaging usable materials from what was left of the field station, but she was having a hard time not thinking about it herself. The team all knew that if the Na'vi couldn't save him, Davian was a goner. The team had developed a strong camaraderie during the months they'd been out here, and Davian was kind of seen as the embodiment of the team's spirit. No one wanted to think of him being dead.

Kim scanned the horizon with a set of binoculars for a while before he waved back to Dr. Simon, "Hey, doc. I've got three fliers inbound. One of them looks like a Leonopteryx. I think it's Jake."

Anita shrugged and readjusted the exopack tank on her belt, "Well, I suppose it's better to know, one way or the other." She and the rest of the science team set down what they were doing and gathered around where Jake's _toruk_ set down, flapping up a windstorm of loose dust and leaves as it descended. The large bird leaned down to let its master dismount and Jake disconnected his queue as he approached them.

Dr. Simon opened her hands expectantly, "Well?"

Jake pushed his visor up onto his forehead, "You'll be pleased to know that we were able to save Davian."

"Oh, thank God." Dr. Simon's head fell back in relief, "Well, where is he? Is he all right?" The shadow of a banshee flying over preceded a three-meter tall avatar landing in a crouch in the grass right in front of her, making her jump.

Davian's avatar looked up with a signature smirk, "I'm back, and better than ever, doc." He stayed down on one knee as Dr. Simon threw her arms around his big blue form, happy to see him alive. The rest of the team gathered round to voice their feelings about seeing their favorite marine/scientist alive and well.

Dr. Simon stepped back and looked Davian over, "I don't get it. You left as a human, but you're back as your avatar? How are you linked?"

Davian stood up and shook his head, "The avatar's all there is now, doc. The Na'vi were able to transfer my consciousness to my avatar, but it's a one-way link." He shrugged, "The human body was getting boring anyway."

"Davyan…" Sateyah came up next to him and cleared her throat with a jerk of her head away from everyone, followed by a rather suggestive smile.

Davian smiled and nodded in return, "If you'll excuse us, Sateyah and I have some…uh…arrangements to finalize." With that, they both mounted their _ikran_ and flew away in a big hurry.

Dr. Simon furrowed her brow curiously, "What was that all about?"

"Oh, yeah. About that…" Jake shifted nervously, "After we saved Davian, he announced to Sateyah that he chose her as his mate, and she accepted."

Sally shrugged, "So?"

The Na'vi chieftain started glancing around nervously, like the subject made him uncomfortable, "Well, in our culture, when a man chooses his woman, the only thing they really need to do is…resolve the relationship."

It was Dr. Simon's turn to shrug, "Resolve how?"

Jake rubbed the back of his neck, "They…uh…" he cleared his throat loudly, "…mate before Eywa."

"They ma…" Anita's eyes widened, "Oh, my gosh!"

Kim gave a "rock on" hand sign, "Go, Davian. Dude finally scored."

"Shut up, Kim." Dr. Simon shooed him away, "Go…fix your chopper or something."

"My chopper's a heap of scrap metal."

Anita shooed him again, "Which means you have a lot of work to do. Go. Just go away." She rubbed the back of her neck and blushed, "Well, _that_ was more information than I needed."

Jake held up his hands defensively, "Hey, you asked the question. I just answered it." Too much information notwithstanding, everyone was glad to see that Davian hadn't joined the ranks of Pandora's martyrs. Even more so, they were glad to see that he was happy. He seemed content in this new life he'd found, and that's really all that mattered in the end.


End file.
